Army Doctrine Publication ADP 5-0 The Operations Process July 2019

This manual, Army Doctrine Publication ADP 5-0 The Operations Process July 2019, provides doctrine on the operations process. It describes fundamentals for effective planning, preparing, executing, and assessing operations. It describes how commanders, supported by their staffs, employ the operations process to understand situations, make decisions, direct action, and lead forces to mission accomplishment.

The principal audience for ADP 5-0 is Army commanders, leaders, and unit staffs. This publication also provides the foundation for Army training and education curricula on the operations process.  Commanders and staffs of Army headquarters that require joint capabilities or form the core of a joint task force, joint land component, or multinational headquarters should also refer to applicable joint or multinational doctrine. 

Military operations are human endeavors conducted in dynamic and uncertain operational environments to achieve a political purpose. Army forces, as part of a joint team, conduct unified land operations to shape operational environments, prevent conflict, consolidate gains, and contribute to winning the Nation’s wars.  During periods of competition or armed conflict, command and control—the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander—is fundamental to all operations. Based on the Army’s vision of war and nature of operations, mission command is the Army’s approach for exercising command and control. The mission command approach empowers subordinate decision making and emphasizes decentralized execution appropriate to the situation.

The Army’s framework for organizing and putting command and control into action is the operations process.  The operations process consists of the major command and control activities performed during operations (planning, preparing, executing, and continuously assessing). Commanders, supported by their staffs, employ the operations process to understand, visualize, and describe their operational environments, end state, and operational approach; make and articulate decisions; and direct, lead, and assess military operations.

The Army continuously prepares for large-scale ground combat while simultaneously shaping the security environment around the world. ADP 5-0 provides doctrine for how Army forces conduct the operations process across the range of military operations. It describes a mission command approach to planning, preparing, executing, and assessing operations. 

This revised ADP 5-0—
Combines the 2012 editions of ADP 5-0 and ADRP 5-0 into one publication.  

Incorporates updated tactics on Army operations to include an emphasis on large-scale combat operations described in the 2017 edition of FM 3-0.  

Incorporates updated fundamentals of mission command to include the reintroduction of command and control to Army doctrine described in the 2019 edition of ADP 6-0.  

Incorporates updated doctrine on assessment described in the 2017 edition of JP 5-0.  

ADP 5-0 contains five chapters:

Chapter 1 sets the context for conducting the operations process by describing the nature of operations, unified land operations, and mission command. Next, it defines and describes the operations process. A discussion of the principles of the operations process follows. The chapter concludes with discussions of the integrating processes and battle rhythm.

Chapter 2 defines planning and describes the functions of planning and plans. It discusses planning at the levels of warfare, operational art, integrated planning, and key components of a plan. The chapter concludes with guides for effective planning and planning pitfalls to avoid.

Chapter 3 addresses the fundamentals of preparation to include its definition and functions. It offers guides for effective preparation and addresses specific preparation activities commonly performed within the headquarters and across the force to improve the unit’s ability to execute operations.

Chapter 4 defines, describes, and offers guides for effective execution. It describes the role of the commander and the role of the staff during execution followed by a discussion of the major activities of execution. It concludes with a discussion of the rapid decision-making and synchronization process.

Chapter 5 defines and describes assessment. It discusses an assessment model and offers guides for effective assessment.