text: Preparation and Execution
  align it to changes in the situation or the target’s responses. Terminating the deception is the final control
  action in the execution of the operation.
  3-26. Control consists of the series of implementing decisions and actions undertaken during the course of a
  deception operation. MDOs project many of these activities during the planning stage as a part of the natural
  progression of events envisioned in the deception event and execution schedule. Other decisions are dictated
  by the course of events revealed during monitoring. Centralized control over deception activities is imperative
  to ensure synchronous operations and the integration of deception in a manner that does not conflict with
  other operations. This principle requires close coordination among deception support elements operating at
  various levels of command. Authority to implement changes to various aspects of the deception operation
  must be specified in the deception plan.
  3-27. Throughout the execution of the deception plan, the controlling planner remains prepared to support
  the commander with sound recommendations when operations reach decision points. If the deception plan
  has a progression of specific phases, with each new phase contingent on the success of the preceding phase,
  and the commander’s approval is required for the execution of each phase, then the commander will need to
  know the specific status of the deception operation at each approval phase. If it becomes apparent that the
  deception story is not being successfully transmitted, the deception story is not eliciting the desired action
  from the target, or the deception is not synched with larger operational requirements, then the controlling
  planner may recommend to the commander to adjust the operation to fit alternative opportunities or to
  terminate it. If the assessed operational risk increases during the execution, the controlling planner addresses
  this change with the commander and provides a recommendation as to how the operation should proceed.
  TERMINATING MILITARY DECEPTION OPERATIONS
  3-28. The termination of a deception is concerned with ending the deception in a way that protects both the
  short- and long-term interests of the command. Planners rarely know in advance the exact circumstances that
  will require termination of a deception plan. Consequently, termination preparations are a continuous process
  that span the planning and execution of the deception. When the commander decides to terminate, the
  termination concept that planners developed and refined during previous phases becomes the basis for a
  deliberate series of termination actions. These actions are designed to advantageously end the operation while
  protecting employed means and techniques.
  3-29. The actions involved in termination include—
  * The organized cessation of deception activities.
  * The protected withdrawal of deception means.
  * After action assessments and reports.
  All three actions of termination occur whether or not the operation achieves its objective and whether or not
  the deception plan remains concealed. In developing the deception plan, planners determine conditions and
  provisions for the termination of the operation. The termination concept outlines alternative reasons and
  methods for terminating the operation, such as indications that the deception objective will not be reached or
  operational situations indicating that the goal is no longer valid. Termination planning anticipates the
  commander’s need to avoid the compromise of deception means and methods, and it anticipates the levels of
  risk acceptable to sources and means before recommending termination.
  3-30. When the commander orders termination, the selected termination concept becomes the basis for final
  termination actions. These actions conclude the operation in line with the deception events that have been
  executed, the assessed state of awareness of the target, and the commander’s specific termination objectives
  at the time. Termination of a deception also encompasses evaluation and reporting. After action assessment
  should be conducted by the MDO. This assessment provides the commander with an objective basis for
  determining the degree of mission success and for improving future deception plans. Because important
  information on various elements of the deception may continue to become available over a long time, a series
  of interim after action reports may be required before making a final assessment. The after action report
  provides a comprehensive overview of the deception as it was planned to work and actually conducted.