text: Chapter 3
  Information Collection Planning and Assessment
  This chapter describes information collection planning considerations. It then
  discusses personnel recovery support. Next, this chapter discusses the military
  decisionmaking process and information collection. Lastly, this chapter discusses
  information collection assessment.
  INFORMATION COLLECTION PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
  3-1. Commanders direct information collection activities by approving commander’s critical information
  requirements (CCIRs) and through driving the operations process. The success of information collection is
  measured by its contribution to the commander’s understanding, visualization, and decisionmaking. The
  operations process and information collection activities are mutually dependent. Commanders provide the
  guidance and focus that drive both by issuing their commander’s intent and approving CCIRs. The
  activities of information collection occur during all parts of the operation and provide continuous
  information to the operations process.
  3-2. Throughout the operations process, commanders and staffs use integrating processes to synchronize
  the warfighting functions to accomplish missions. Information collection activities, as well as intelligence
  preparation of the battlefield (IPB), are among these integrating processes. Synchronization is the
  arrangement of military actions in time, space, and purpose to produce maximum relative combat power at
  a decisive place and time (JP 2-0). This collaborative effort by the staff, with the commander’s
  involvement, is essential to synchronize information collection with the overall operation. Planning,
  preparing, executing, and assessing information collection activities is a continuous cycle with a timeframe
  that depends on the echelon, assets engaged, and the type of operation. For example, offensive operations
  have a significantly shorter timeframe for gathering information and expecting to see changes in the
  situation than stability operations.
  3-3. Conducting information collection activities consists of various staff functions such as planning,
  collection, processing, and exploitation; analysis and production; dissemination and integration; and
  evaluation and feedback. It should focus on the commander’s requirements. The purpose of these staff
  functions is to place all collection assets and resources into a single plan to capitalize on the different
  capabilities. The plan synchronizes and coordinates collection activities in the overall scheme of maneuver.
  A good information collection plan fits into and supports the overall operations plan or order (see table A-1
  on page A-7 for an example). It positions and tasks collection assets to collect the right information, sustain
  or reconstitute for branches or sequels, or shift priorities as the situation develops. Effective information
  collection focuses on answering the commander’s requirements through collection tasks translated into
  orders.
  3-4. The information collection plan synchronizes activities of the information collection assets to provide
  intelligence to the commander required to confirm course of action (COA) selection and targeting
  requirements. The intelligence staff, in coordination with the operations staff, ensures all available
  collection assets provide the required information. The staff also recommends adjustments to asset
  locations, if required.
  3-5. An effective information collection plan must be based on the initial threat assessment and modified
  as the intelligence running estimate changes. Other staff sections’ running estimates may contain
  requirements to include in the information collection plan. Additionally, the plan must synchronize with the
  scheme of maneuver and be updated as that scheme of maneuver changes. Properly synchronized
  information collection planning begins when the IPB (threat characteristics, enemy templates, enemy COA
  statements, and, most importantly, an enemy event template or matrix) is developed and updated. Properly
  synchronized information collection planning ends with well-defined CCIRs and collection strategies based
  on the situation and commander’s intent.