In the planning phase, a leader receives the mission and creates his or her tentative plan. In the preparation phase, a leader issues the warning order and conducts reconnaissance. Following all of that, the execution phase begins when the complete order is issued. Every step of the Troop Leading Procedures is embedded in the Operations Process and both the Operations Process and the Troop Leading Procedures happen at all levels of command, though they may manifest in different ways; more specifically, larger units adhere to the Operations Process because it has a more broad scope and smaller units use the Troop Leading Procedures. Despite this difference, the fundamental concept of planning, preparing, and executing while constantly assessing and leading can be universally applied in army leadership. At the highest levels, the Commander in Chief and his advisors decide how we will react to global and national events. They plan on a large scale and make preparations to lead the military and civilian sectors through a given situation. At this point the cyclical Operations Process begins trickling down through the various levels of higher leadership and driving the Troop Leading Procedures in lower level leadership. Since the two processes are so intertwined, it is easy to draw parallels between …show more content…
When I was assigned the Patrol Base Operations and PCC/PCI lab, I noticed first hand exactly how vital planning is to an entire operation. Everything had to be discussed at length, written down, revised, rehearsed, and timed. As my partner and I worked through our material we applied the fundamentals of the Operations Process to our assignment. We planned what facilities we would have and what equipment we would use; we prepared a power point presentation for the class and a short skit to perform; and we rehearsed for hours on end. Despite all our efforts, unforeseen circumstances still arose and adaptations had to be made. That was probably the most valuable lesson I took from the experience: That no matter how much planning and preparation goes into a mission, things can always go wrong and a leader must be prepared to adapt and overcome any obstacles thrown his way. In a situation where new problems arise, the Troop Leading Procedures and the Operations Process can be applied to aid in completing the