Medical Service Corps Leader Development

The Role of Commander's Intent in Writing Orders

"The material and moral consequences of every major battle are so far-reaching that they usually bring about a completely altered situation, a new basis for the adoption of new measures. One cannot be at all sure that any operational plan will survive the first encounter with the main body of the enemy. Only a layman could suppose that the development of a campaign represents the strict application of a prior concept that has been worked out in every detail and followed through to the very end."
- Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke (Chief of Staff of the Prussian General Staff, aka Moltke the Elder)

Or put more simply and re-quoted by countless leaders,

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy".

Orders, when written properly, are a critical component of mission command. However, the tendency of both writers and readers of orders is to focus in on the ex*****on paragraph. This quote, as well as doctrine and experience, teach that the most important part of an order is the commander's intent.

So what does this mean?

1. For the Commander: Spend time crafting your intent to be understood by junior leaders in the fog of war or when the ground truth changes.

2. For the Planner and Operations Officer: Do not guess what the commander's intent is - ask, clarify, and truly understand. Spend a disproportionate amount of time ensuring clarity of intent instead of developing pages of specified tasks.

3. For those Executing Orders: Do not be lazy and skip to tasks to subordinate units to learn what you are required to do. Read and understand the commander's intent. Ensure your subordinates understand the commander's intent.

This way, subordinate commanders or leaders can use mission command to navigate the shifting sands of the modern battlefield to take advantage of opportunities as they appear or make changes to the plan on the fly rather than waiting for new orders. Clear commander’s intent enables disciplined initiative, which is all the more crucial on a battlefield where we may be limited in communications abilities.

Read the whole article by the Angry Staff Officer here: https://angrystaffofficer.com/2018/10/29/wait-whose-intent-the-role-of-commanders-intent-in-army-order-writing/?fbclid=IwAR2B9k8O1d3Sv8tHNYcztTBTGdW0TWfLGIaQgWzPGsE49055ZZzbjC_jb2w

PLA “Precision Strike” in the Cognitive Domain

Researchers from China’s National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) published a framework applying a “precision strike” concept to PLA cognitive domain operations, covert efforts to shape foreign audiences’ perceptions and behaviors. 

The concept treats AI, big data, and machine learning as the engine of these operations, enabling adversaries to build detailed behavioral profiles, what the authors call “intelligent portraits”, of target audiences in order to identify vulnerabilities and optimal moments to inject influence messaging.

Tailored content serves as the “ammunition,” designed to match an audience’s cognitive profile to core themes such as legal persuasion, emotional appeal, military deterrence, and martial mobilization. 

Western social media platforms, Facebook for agenda-setting, X for action coordination, and YouTube for content dissemination, are explicitly identified as the primary battlefield for these cognitive strikes. 

While significant obstacles remain, particularly Western dominance of the international media landscape, this framework signals that PLA information and psychological operations are becoming increasingly data-driven, targeted, and sophisticated.

Five Key Points

1. The PLA is militarizing influence operations with a precision fires mindset.
The “precision strike” concept directly mirrors military targeting logic, using data collection and algorithmic analysis to identify cognitive vulnerabilities, select optimal timing, and deliver tailored messaging with maximum effect.  This framing means commanders should treat adversary influence operations with the same analytical rigor applied to kinetic fires.

2. AI and big data are the critical enablers, not the message itself.
Behavioral data collection and algorithmic targeting enabled by AI and machine learning are seen as the “fuel” and “engine” of cognitive domain operations, facilitating the monitoring, collection, analysis, and evaluation of a target audience over time.  The implication for the force is that data hygiene and digital footprint awareness are now readiness issues, not just personal privacy concerns.

3. The goal is to build self-reinforcing information ecosystems around target audiences.
The authors conceive of tailored messaging being used to build “information cocoons”, insulated and self-reinforcing media ecosystems that limit a target audience’s exposure to outside information.  For military leaders, this means adversaries are not simply pushing false narratives; they are engineering the information environment so competing narratives never reach the intended audience.

4. Western social media platforms are explicitly named as the operational terrain.
The NUDT researchers assert that Facebook is used for agenda-setting, while X and YouTube are used for coordinating actions and disseminating content, what the authors call “bombardment.”  Soldiers and units with public social media presences are operating on ground the PLA has already mapped and contested.

5. PLA cognitive operations doctrine draws directly from CCP propaganda strategy.
Precision strike’s parallels to the CCP’s “precise communication” strategy showcase the degree to which PLA information and psychological operations are informed by the Party’s broader propaganda work, and analysis of China’s propaganda ecosystem can inform how the PLA will seek to influence foreign audiences in the future.  This integration of Party strategy and military ex*****on means IO planners should analyze CCP external messaging as a leading indicator of future PLA influence campaigns.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Link to full article in the comments!