Marine Corps Warfare Publication MCWP 5-10 (Formerly MCWP 5-1) Marine Corps Planning Process 2 May 2016, was first published in January 2000. Since that time, the planning process has been used by Marine Corps forces at all echelons of command to conduct a range of military operations. The planning associated with these diverse operations has demonstrated the fundamental soundness of the process. Practical application has also revealed that portions of the planning process and MCWP 5-1 require clarification or elaboration to enhance comprehension and utility. Among these, design has emerged as a term requiring further emphasis.
A fundamental responsibility of command, design is present not only in planning, but also throughout the planning-execution-assessment continuum. This publication emphasizes the importance of understanding the problem, the environment, the enemy, and the purpose of an operation. This awareness is fundamental to the first step in planning—formerly named mission analysis—and has, accordingly, been renamed problem framing to better convey its purpose and importance. Moreover, the publication includes a discussion of battlespace, centers of gravity, commander’s intent, and commander’s critical information requirements as part of design, versus its former heading of commander’s battlespace area evaluation.
Marine Corps Planning Process also clarifies the distinction between intent and guidance. Intent describes the purpose of the action being directed and an idea of its end state. The intent promotes subordinate initiative that is consistent with the higher commander’s aims when the task assigned is no longer appropriate for the situation. Constructs, such as “method,” are forms of guidance that may be transitory.