Planning is a continuously dynamic activity in numerous operations. Planning holds value, particularly in civil-military situations. In this compound situations, planning involves making decisions under uncertainty such as time and cost constraints. With both time and cost constraints in play, there is a significant potential for undesirable outcomes that result from the existence of differing goals and several variables. The Joint Planning Process (JPP) uses the joint function to reduce of the planning operations to the lowest acceptable levels.
The use of joint function in Afghanistan is one of the notable real world examples. Afghanistan is one of the leading countries that manufacture as well as export opium in the world. The global trade in the country assists it to fund insurgency so that it continues to fight and disrupt the stability in the region. The International Security Assistance Force, together with the international community that comprises of Russia, the United States, and Great Britain, has been in the struggle to fight for the opioid crisis in Afghanistan for more than ten years. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) avails a line of security, specialist engineers, logistic assistance, and medical assets to combat the improvised explosive devices (IED) made in Afghanistan. As much as the ISAF has availed numerous resources to combat the opioid crisis, it is significant to involve all in the Joint Planning Operations (JPP) to offer the most critical effect. Discernment on the plan and coordination on where the network can target is compound and require the joint efforts of the coalition.
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For the coalition to be effective, there is a need to formulate policies and programs to confront the opium trade in Afghanistan. The national strategies and operational tactics have reformed many times to permit the coalition to stay abreast of the Afghanistan problems. In the past decade, the alliance has better comprehended the strategic factors that are involved in the trade of opium and have been able to utilize the JPP functions to manage the crisis of opium better. The coalition has utilized the JPP functions and features extensively to develop a holistic approach.
As a result of the Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM), poppy cultivation as well as opium production has greatly reduced. Baker et al. (2014) indicate that JPP approach use can allow both the government of Afghanistan and the alliance to thrive in planning their operations. In planning of their operations, the coalition and the government of Afghanistan will embattle one of the wickest issues they face. The wicked issue characterizes itself with insurgent pressures, personal and institutional will, competing individual economic incentives, government capacity and weather. If the alliance cannot utilize the JIIM method, the opium trade erratic intricacies, opium manufacture would be progressively unrelenting, and the insurgent backing will not stop.
The lessons taught during the operations of the JIIM have increased the understanding of the operations to a greater extent. As a Sustainment Brigade, there is need for units to perform logistics and individual services. Logistics involve planning and performing both the movement and the support of forces. It includes military operations that deal with maintenance, field services, supply, operational contract support, design and development, acquisition of services, distribution, and maintenance. On the other hand, individual services are sustainment functions that fund as well as handle the force.
A person well knows soldiers that rise through the ranks within a sustainment brigade does not provide a person with knowledge, opportunity, or tools to tackle the maintenance field and rather find it challenging to adapt to a unified assignment of the operation of JIIM. If. After immensely learning and studying the operation of the JIIM and gaining the required experience, leaders can notice the benefits of applying diverse capabilities and skills of services to a single mission. When these leaders reach the senior roles of leadership, particularly First Sergeant, they begin to touch on JIIM ( Deployable Training Division, 2017 ). These leaders get to see the level of the Battalion at the minimum and on the ways; different units combine and plan operation missions.
In these kinds of operations, senior enlisted advisors that assume a joint assignment ought to understand how to conduct joint resource operations, complement joint operation functions as well as affect the capabilities of interagency. This heightens their adaptability as they continue to learn on integrating the current skills required for a mission. The senior enlisted advisors ought to comprehend their roles as they create a working relationship between the organizations they are working on.
Sustainment is a typical war-fighting function among the seven war fighting functions used in the joint operations. It majorly comprises of frameworks and tasks that offer support and services that ensure the extended operational reach, prolonged endurance, and freedom of action. Sustainment majorly involves the provision of personnel and logistic services to keep as well as prolong the operations through the accomplishment of missions and force redeployment. Numerous services in military fall under personnel and logistic services ranging from munitions, food supply, legal services to building, fuels, maintaining contingency bases, arms and operations.
Countries have to come together and hold joint operations to enhance diplomatic relations among them. Even though JIIM conduct their operations in a unified manner, their environment is more challenging because of lack of hierarchy and incongruent purposes and unique cultural values. The lack of a common doctrine and systems that guide them as well as lack of individual connections between the unified partners are among the issues the JIIM faces. It is therefore important to put these challenges into consideration to ensure that the JIIM conducts itsoperation in a joint manner.
References
Baker, J., Hoffman, S., Kolasheski, J., Toner, K., Winton, D. (2014). Targeting the jiim way: a more inclusive approach. Joint Force Quarterly, 73(2), 60-67. Retrieved from https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Documents/jfq/jfq-73/jfq-73.pdf?ver=2014*04*01*223847-610 on 27 th June 2020.
Deployable Training Division. (2017). Joint Operations (Joint Staff-J7). Retrieved from https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/fp/joint_ops_fp.pdf?ver=2018-03-29 on 27 th June 2020.
