text: Planning
  operations and achieve the mission. Based on the commander’s planning guidance, to include IO weighted
  efforts, the IO officer develops a separate scheme of IO for each course of action (COA) the staff develops.
  IO schemes of support are written in terms of IO objectives—and their associated weighted efforts—and IRC
  tasks required to achieve these objectives. For example, the overall scheme may be oriented primarily on
  defending friendly information but also include attack and stabilize objectives.
  IO Objectives
  4-11. IO objectives express specific and obtainable outcomes or effects that commanders intend to achieve
  in and through the information environment. In addition to be being specific, these objectives are measurable,
  achievable, relevant, and time-bounded (or SMART), which facilitates their attainment and assessment (see
  chapter 8). IO objectives serve a function similar to that of terrain or force-oriented objectives in maneuver
  operations. They focus the IO effort on achieving synchronized IRC effects, at the right time and place, to
  accomplish the unit's mission and support the commanders' intent and concept of the operation.
  4-12. Accurate situational understanding is key to establishing IO objectives. Operational- and tactical-level
  IO objectives must nest with strategic theater objectives. Joint and component staffs develop IO objectives
  to help integrate and synchronize their campaigns and major operations.
  4-13. The IO officer develops objectives as part of developing the scheme of IO during COA development.
  These objectives help the staff determine tasks to subordinate units during COA development and analysis.
  Tasks
  4-14. Tasks are developed to support accomplishment of one or more IO objectives. These tasks are
  developed specifically for a given IRC. In concert with IRC representatives, the IO officer develops tasks
  during COA development and finalizes them during COA analysis. During COA development and COA
  analysis, tasks are discussed in general terms but not assigned to a subordinate unit. During orders production,
  these tasks are assigned to IRC units.
  Flexibility and Lead Times
  4-15. IO planning requires innovation and flexibility. Some IRCs, such as military information support
  operations (MISO), operations security (OPSEC), and military deception, require a long lead time for
  planning and preparation. Synchronizing IRCs into multiple lines of operation or effort requires extensive
  coordination. Achieving certain IO objectives may require senior-leader review and approval and more up-
  to-date intelligence. For some IRCs, there is a significant lag between execution and assessment of their
  effects. Planning requires a concentrated information collection effort during preparation and execution to
  obtain and analyze information for assessing effectiveness. These factors increase the challenges facing
  planners and decrease the time available to prepare. Nevertheless, early execution of select tasks can enhance
  efforts to shape the information environment in the area of operations.
  RECEIPT OF MISSION
  4-16. Upon receipt of a mission, the commander and staff perform an initial assessment. Based on this
  assessment, the commander issues initial guidance and the staff prepares and issues a warning order
  (WARNORD). Between receiving the commander's initial guidance and issuing the WARNORD, the staff
  performs receipt of mission actions. During receipt of mission, the IO officer—
  * Reviews and updates the running estimate.
  * Participates in the initial assessment.
  * Provides input to the commander's initial guidance.
  * Provides input to the warning order.
  * Prepares for subsequent planning.