"When agencies work as one, the public is safe. When they work in silos, the gaps become vulnerabilities."
Joint Operations Planning
Professor Sele: Failing to plan is planning to fail. In joint operations, that failure doesn't just affect your team — it creates gaps that every other agency has to work around. Professional planners think in systems, not checklists.
3.1 The Purpose of Joint Operations Planning
Joint operations planning brings together all relevant agencies before an operation to agree on shared objectives and priorities, roles and responsibilities, resource allocation, communication plans, and contingency protocols. Planning meetings must be scheduled, structured, and documented. Ad-hoc coordination on the day of an operation is not planning — it is crisis improvisation.
3.2 The Joint Operations Planning Process
A structured 6-step process governs effective joint operations planning: Mission Analysis (what are we trying to achieve), Agency Mapping (which agencies, with what mandates and resources), Resource Allocation (who provides what), Communications Plan (channels, call signs, reporting), Contingency Planning (triggers for escalation or handover), and Briefing & Confirmation (joint briefing with confirmed understanding).
3.3 The Operations Order (OPORD)
A formal Operations Order documents the joint plan and is classified according to sensitivity. Distribution is restricted to authorised personnel only.
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Situation | Threat environment, terrain, weather, friendly/hostile forces |
| Mission | Clear statement of what is to be achieved |
| Execution | Tasks for each agency/unit, scheme of manoeuvre |
| Admin/Logistics | Resupply, medical, transport |
| Command/Comms | Chain of command, radio channels, reporting schedule |
- •Joint planning must happen before the operation — not during it
- •The 6-step planning process: Mission Analysis → Agency Mapping → Resources → Comms → Contingency → Briefing
- •An OPORD is the formal written record of the joint plan
- •Every agency representative must confirm understanding during the briefing phase
"A planning meeting that ends without a written OPORD is a conversation — not a plan. At SafeHaven, every joint operation above routine level produces a documented plan that all participating agencies receive before the operation begins. When things go wrong in the field, teams refer back to the plan — not to their memory of what was discussed at a meeting two weeks ago."
At which step of the joint operations planning process do agencies agree on radio channels, call signs, and inter-agency reporting frequencies?