text: Information Collection Planning and Assessment
  MISSION ANALYSIS
  3-13. When mission analysis begins, the staff should have the higher headquarters plan or order all
  available products. The staff adds its updated running estimates to the process. The initial information
  collection tasks issued with the first warning order may yield information for analysis and evaluation for
  relevance to mission analysis. The commander provides initial guidance that the staff uses to capture the
  commander’s intent and develop the restated mission.
  Analyze the Higher Headquarters Order
  3-14. During mission analysis, the staff analyzes the higher headquarters order to extract information
  collection tasks and constraints such as limits of reconnaissance. The order also contains details on the
  availability of information collection assets from higher echelons and any allocation of those assets to the
  unit.
  Perform Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield
  3-15. IPB is one of the most important prerequisites to information collection planning. During IPB, staffs
  develop several key products that aid information collection planning. Those products include—
  * Threat characteristics.
  * Terrain overlays.
  * The weather effects matrix.
  * Enemy situational templates and COA statements.
  * The enemy event template and matrix.
  * The high-payoff target list.
  * An updated intelligence estimate including identified information gaps.
  3-16. These products aid the staff in identifying—
  * Information gaps answered by existing collection activities, intelligence reach, and requests for
  information to higher echelons. The remaining information gaps develop requirements for
  information collection.
  * Threat considerations that may affect planning.
  * Terrain effects that may benefit, constrain, or limit the capabilities of collection assets.
  * Weather effects that may benefit, constrain, or negatively influence the capabilities of collection
  assets.
  * Civil considerations that may affect information collection planning.
  Note: When considering terrain effects, planners can use the geospatial information team to
  develop line-of-sight products.
  3-17. The most useful product for information collection planning for the intelligence officer is the threat
  event template. Once developed, the threat event template helps develop the information collection plan.
  Likely threat locations, avenues of approach, infiltration routes, support areas, and areas of activity become
  named areas of interest (NAIs) or target areas of interest (TAIs) where collection assets focus their
  collection efforts. Indicators, coupled with information requirements and essential elements of friendly
  information (EEFI), provide collection assets with the required information that units identify and report.
  (See chapters 1 and 2 of FM 2-01.3 for additional information on the IPB process and products.)
  3-18. As the staff completes mission analysis, the intelligence staff completes development of initial
  collection requirements. These collection requirements form the basis of the initial information collection
  plan, the requests for collection support, and the requests for information to higher and lateral units. When
  the mission analysis is complete, staffs have identified intelligence gaps and planners have an initial plan to
  fill those gaps. Additionally, the operations officer and the remainder of the staff thoroughly understand the
  unit missions, tasks, and purposes.