2006 CCRTS The State of the Art and the State of the Practice A New Model for Tactical Mission Planning for the Swedish Armed Forces Topics: Cognitive Domain Issues, C2 Architecture or maybe C2 Experimentation

The purpose of this paper is to present a model for mission planning at the tactical level of command. The new Planning Under Time-pressure (PUT-) model views the mental activity in the MDMP as problem-solving activity. Only one course of action (COA) is fully developed, after having the eyes open to many possibilities at the beginning of the process. The stress in the PUT-model is on planning, modifying and refining this COA, and not as in traditional models, to choose between alternative COA’s. The PUT-model is based on contemporary research how experienced officers tend to make decisions and plans, and it also captures experience inherent in traditional military planning models. Results from experimental and field tests indicate that the simplifications made in the PUT-model compared to traditional models result in significantly faster planning without loss of plan quality. Usability ratings of the PUT-model are generally high. Improvements compared to traditional models refer to four different areas: a) practical working technique, b) mental technique, c) military tactics inherent or focused in the PUT model and d) shorter time needed to make a plan. The PUTmodel is currently being adopted as a unified, tactical level, planning model for the Swedish Armed Forces.