ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN
the time-consuming and error-prone procedure of transitioning information into tactical systems is still a major obstacle. If we allow our planning proficiencies to deteriorate, we risk ceding the ability to shape the battlefield to our enemies and stifling inno- vation in the face of new and evolving threats.
THE REVOLUTION WILL BE DIGITALIZED It doesn’t have to be this way. Te solution to these challenges lies in digitalization: Reimagining the planning-to-execution pipeline as a unified platform in which data is centrally managed and can be instantly leveraged at every step of the process. As plans exist today, spread across disconnected files, they are computerized but lack integration with other systems. On a digital platform, all aspects of the planning process—mission analysis, mapping, modeling, wargaming, orders dissemination—happen in the same space. Elements of the plan exist as digital objects that can be easily ported between systems rather than static text trapped in document files. Transferring the plan’s contents from plan- ning systems to downstream tactical systems suddenly becomes a much smoother, faster task.
Digital planning doesn’t bridge only the gap between systems, but also the distance between the war room and the battlefield. On a unified platform, planners, commanders and other stake- holders can seamlessly collaborate from anywhere in the world as if they were seated around the same paper map. Instead of split- ting their communications across countless emails, PowerPoint presentations and shared drives, planners can use a single venue to develop, brief and execute a plan.
Digital platforms accelerate the planning process for even the most complex operations by integrating with authoritative data sources. Planners are continually fed with data on terrain, weather, unit readiness, materiel and other critical warfighting factors. Tese data streams are updated in real-time, removing the guesswork in assessing the conditions of the battlefield. In this way, digital tools finally make the AP initiative’s “living plan” concept real, enabling planners to quickly make decisions based on the most up-to-date information possible.
CONCLUSION Te need for robust planning tools is just as important now as it was more than 20 years ago, when Rumsfeld started the AP initiative. Te key to delivering on the promises of AP and unlocking the future of planning is digitalization—and the tools to enable it are ready and accessible now. Te promise of digital planning isn’t just a hypothetical, but a real, capability developed
44 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2025
by the Army’s S&T community that is ready for deployment today. Tese tools support the Army’s vision for future command and control platforms, including modern warfighting advance- ments such as AI and edge computing. By embracing the digital planning tools being developed today, the military will be well- prepared for the battlefields of tomorrow.
For more information about a digital planning tool being used today, go to
https://intellipedia.intelink.gov/wiki/Joint_ Planning_Services (CAC required) to learn more about Joint Planning Services, a project of the Geospatial Research Lab (GRL) of the Engineer Research & Development Center (ERDC) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. To learn more about the Spearhead project at GRL and what’s coming next in digital planning, go to
https://intellipedia.intelink.gov/wiki/Spearhead or contact
spearhead@erdc.dren.mil.
MICHAEL “REGGIE” HAMMOND is the project manager for the Spearhead project at ERDC GRL at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He is a retired Naval Officer with almost 20 years’ experience in Joint and Army strategic/operational planning, including eight years in the Joint Staff’s Joint Operational War Plans Division and six years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He holds an M.S. in national security strategy from the National War College and a B.S. in mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy.
EARL DEAN is the deputy project manager for the Spearhead project at ERDC GRL. He brings eight-plus years’ experience with Army acquisitions to the team. He holds an M.S. in systems engineering management from the Naval Postgraduate School, a B.S. in business administration from Franklin University and he
is DAWIA Certified Advanced in program management.
RYAN DELTS is a computer scientist and configuration manager for the Spearhead project at ERDC GRL. He holds an M.S. in geoinformatics and spatial intelligence from George Mason University and a B.S. in computer science from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
CONTRIBUTOR: George Wright is a technical writer for ERDC GRL.
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