Which directorate is primarily responsible for developing and refining joint operation plans?

• A. J-1
• B. J-2
• C. J-5
• D. J-6

Answer: (C)

Developing and refining how multiple forces work together over time is led by the Plans and Policy directorate. This team owns the process of shaping joint operation plans, ensuring they align with national guidance and strategic goals, and translating that guidance into executable plans and orders. They coordinate inputs from across services, work through sequencing and timing, assess resource needs, and update the plan as conditions change. While other parts of the staff provide crucial supporting information—intelligence to inform risk and threat, personnel insights for feasible staffing, and communications support for the network and data-sharing requirements—the responsibility to draft and refine the actual joint operation plan belongs to the Plans and Policy directorate.