The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the ninety-nineth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the LTC Westly “West” LaFitte, the Brigade Executive Officer Observer-Coach-Trainer for Brigade Command & Control on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are two other senior members of BC2, MAJ David Pfaltzgraff and MAJ Marc Howle. MAJ Pfaltzgraff is the BDE S-3 Operations OCT and MAJ Howle is the Senior Engineer / Protection OCT for BDE C2 (BDE HQ). This is part two of our two-part series on MDMP with the previous episode being episode ninety-one of ‘The Crucible.’

This episode focuses on the military decision-making process (MDMP) within the broader operations process and its critical role in enabling successful warfighting at scale. The discussion emphasizes that MDMP is often misunderstood or misapplied, particularly when staffs abbreviate or skip steps like course of action (COA) analysis and war-gaming. The speakers highlight that war-gaming is not simply a formality but an essential method for integrating all warfighting functions—fires, sustainment, intelligence, and protection—into a coherent plan that goes beyond maneuver. When war-gaming is skipped or rushed, staff outputs like execution matrices, decision support tools, and synchronization efforts suffer, creating confusion and inefficiencies during execution. One common friction point is the tendency to rely on directed COAs or key leader discussions as a shortcut, which introduces confirmation bias and bypasses vital coordination and risk analysis.

The episode identifies several best practices to improve MDMP execution. These include empowering a dedicated plans chief to drive the planning effort, enforcing the use of version-controlled fighting products during rehearsals, and requiring all warfighting functions to contribute to synchronization tools like the execution matrix. The team also stresses the importance of integrating current operations with planning efforts to maintain updated running estimates and preserve operational tempo. Another critical topic covered is the misapplication of the rapid decision and synchronization process (RDSP), which doctrine now clarifies must be used only for branches and sequels—not as a substitute for MDMP. Ultimately, success in time-constrained environments comes from repeated practice of full MDMP, adherence to doctrinal principles, and disciplined use of planning tools like the HOPE-SW timeline. The conversation closes with a strong reminder: mastering MDMP is not about perfection—it’s about building cohesive teams that can plan, synchronize, and fight effectively under pressure.

Part of S01 “The Leader’s Laboratory” series.

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“The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.