Applicability of the Military Decision-Making Process in the Air Operations Center

The US Army uses the military decision-making process (MDMP) to plan operations. The US Air Force conducts planning in the Air Operations Center (AOC) using multiple methods. This thesis examines the applicability of using MDMP in the AOC. A qualitative analysis of the planning processes compares MDMP to the following AOC processes: the Joint Air Estimate Process producing the Joint Air Operations Plan (JAOP), the generation of the Air Operations Directive (AOD), and the Master Air Attack Plan (MAAP). Timeliness, standardization, and planning comprehensiveness serve as the measures to compare the processes. Timeliness was a barrier to entry for any planning process. MDMP and the JAOP both benefited from a standardized and comprehensive planning process. The development of the AOD and the MAAP lacked some standardization and comprehensiveness. The analysis concludes that MDMP has applicability in the AOC. Applying the principles and methods of MDMP would strengthen the JAOP, AOD, and MAAP processes during AOC planning.