Which statement describes planning level 3 - Concept Plans (CONPLANs)?

Which statement describes planning level 3 - Concept Plans (CONPLANs)?

• A. Describes CONOPS, major forces, concepts of support, and anticipated timelines for completing the mission.
• B. Involves the least amount of detail and focuses on producing multiple COAs to address a contingency.
• C. A detailed joint plan containing a description of the CONOPS, all annexes applicable to the plan, and a TPFDD.
• D. An abbreviated OPLAN.

Answer: (D)

CONPLANs at planning level three are an abbreviated OPLAN. They lay out the concept of operations, identify the major forces and the general concept of support, and provide rough timelines for potential execution. They stop short of the full, detailed structure of an OPLAN, which would include all annexes and a time-phased deployment plan. This lighter document gives commanders and staff a workable framework to discuss intent and options without committing to the complete, fully developed plan. The fully detailed plan with annexes and TPFDD describes an OPLAN, not a CONPLAN, and producing multiple COAs is a planning step more about option development than the CONPLAN product itself.

CONPLANs at planning level three are an abbreviated OPLAN. They lay out the concept of operations, identify the major forces and the general concept of support, and provide rough timelines for potential execution. They stop short of the full, detailed structure of an OPLAN, which would include all annexes and a time-phased deployment plan. This lighter document gives commanders and staff a workable framework to discuss intent and options without committing to the complete, fully developed plan. The fully detailed plan with annexes and TPFDD describes an OPLAN, not a CONPLAN, and producing multiple COAs is a planning step more about option development than the CONPLAN product itself.