I. Situation Assessment

1. What are the most critical events, from your agency’s perspective, that should shape the USG’s response?

2. What are the “weakest links” in the information you’ve been presented?

3. Based on the gaps in the information, what assumptions have you made?

4. What agencies would you immediately contact to fill-in the unknown?

II. U.S. Interests

1. What are the U.S. interests at stake?

2. What agencies should be involved in prioritizing the U.S. interests?

1. What are the key elements of the operational strategy that the USG will pursue in its response to the current situation?

2. What should be the USG short-term response?

3. What should be the USG longer-term response? How are you defining short and longer-term?

1. Based on the strategic purpose, what are the U.S. objectives vis-a-vis the current situation?

2. What are the short-term and long-term objectives?

3. What key considerations (military, civilian, economic, domestic, multinational, etc.) will be shaping the U.S. objectives?

1. What are the conditions the USG is hoping to create that will define the proposed operation as a success?

2. Can you define criteria that would allow the USG to evaluate whether the desired End State has been met?

3. What assumptions are you making while developing the criteria?

4. What part of the USG will be making the final decision regarding the success of the operation?

1. What agency will take the lead in overseeing the operation?

2. What agencies should be involved in preparing for the operation? Who will take the lead?

3. What agencies should be involved in implementing the operation? Who will take the lead?

4. What are the phases in the proposed operation?

5. What is the concept of operation for each phase?

1. Can you identify which agency will take what responsibility at each stage of the proposed operation?

2. Do you have a mechanism to review this list once the operation commences?

1. What is the process that will allow you to identify the End State?

2. What agency will have the final authority to determine that the End State has been met and transition phase has began?

3. What should the USG strategy be for the transitional stage?

4. What agencies and organizations should be involved in the transitional stage?

1. Given the scenario, what are the main tasks that need to be completed at every stage of the USG response?

2. What is the lead agency for each specific task on your list? What other agencies are involved in each task?

3. What is the venue within the USG to review the progress of task completion?

1. What process can be used to identify key operational and support plans that are developed by each specific agency?

2. What agency will monitor the implementation of these key plans for the USG?