text: Chapter 2
  2-53. Multiple processes and activities such as planning, assessment, intelligence, information collection,
  reporting, collaboration, rehearsals, and liaison all help build, maintain, and share understanding. Knowledge
  management and information management assist commanders with progressively adding meaning at each
  level of processing and analyzing to help build and maintain understanding as shown in figure 2-5. (See
  ATP 6-01.1 for more information on knowledge management.)
  Figure 2-5. Building understanding
  2-54. Based on their situational understanding, commanders and staffs use information to direct action. Plans
  and orders are the primary means for communicating direction. Commanders issue plans and orders to
  subordinates to communicate their visualization of operations and to direct actions. Plans and orders
  synchronize the action of forces in time, space, and purpose to achieve objectives and accomplish the mission.
  They inform others outside the organization on how to cooperate and provide support.
  2-55. Information is also a powerful tool to influence the behavior of relevant actors in an OE. Commanders
  and their units must coordinate what they do, say, and portray. Every engagement, battle, and major operation
  requires complementary information operations to slow and impair enemy decision making, as well as work
  in consonance with public affairs to inform a global audience and with PSYOP to influence audiences in an
  operational area. Fundamental to this effort is integration of information related capabilities to provide
  options for the commander and support warfighting functions. At the operational level information operations
  affects enemy decision making, supports commander decision points and warfighting functions, and
  complements the joint and theater level strategic messaging. (See FM 3-13 for doctrine on information
  operations).
  Note. Joint doctrine lists information as a joint function. The information function encompasses
  the management and application of information and its deliberate integration with other joint
  functions (command and control, intelligence, fires, protection, and sustainment) to influence
  relevant actor perceptions, behavior, action or inaction, and support human and automated
  decision making. (See JP 3-0 for a description of the joint functions.) The Army considers
  information an essential element of all warfighting functions.
  COMMAND AND CONTROL
  In general, campaign projects have to be adjusted to conditions (time, weather), the
  number of the enemy. …The more one foresees obstacles to his plans, the less one will find
  of them later in the execution. In a word, everything must be foreseen; find the problems
  and resolve them.
  Frederick the Great
  2-56. Command and control is the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander
  over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission (JP 1). Commanders exercise their
  authority and direction through the command and control warfighting function—the related tasks and a
  system that enable commanders to synchronize and converge all elements of combat power (ADP 3-0). The
  command and control tasks are—
  * Command forces.
  * Control operations.
  * Drive the operations process.
  * Establish the command and control system.