This is a practical and easily accessible guide for those new to the joint environment and staff assignments. With input from serving action officers and senior leaders, here are the competencies and behaviors of highly effective and successful joint staff officers which provide a roadmap for career self development. This is the most current joint information available for managing staff activities.

Intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB), the Army's traditional methodology for finding and analyzing relevant information for its operations, is not effective for tackling the operational and intelligence challenges of urban operations. The authors suggest new ways to categorize the complex terrain, infrastructure, and populations of urban environments and incorporate this information into Army planning and decisionmaking processes.

This publication is the capstone joint doctrine publication. It provides doctrine for unified action by the Armed Forces of the United States. As such, it specifies the authorized command relationships and authority that military commanders can use, provides guidance for the exercise of that military authority, provides fundamental principles and guidance for command and control, prescribes guidance for organizing joint forces, and describes policy for selected joint activities. It also provides the doctrinal basis for interagency coordination and for US military involvement in multiagency and multinational operations. Joint doctrine promotes a common perspective from which to plan, train, and conduct military operations. It represents what is taught, believed, and advocated as what is right (i.e., what works best). Conducting joint operations generally involve 12 broad principles, collectively known as the “principles of joint operations”. These principles guide warfighting at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war. They combine the nine historical principles of war (present in joint doctrine since its inception) with three additional principles born out of experience across the range of military operations. US military service is based on values that US military experience has proven to be vital for operational success. These values adhere to the most idealistic societal norms, are common to all the Services, and represent the essence of military professionalism. Competent joint warfighters must be skilled in thinking strategically and at optimizing joint capabilities, applying strategic and operational art, and having a joint perspective. There are five values, while not specific to joint operations, that have special impact on the conduct of joint operations. The values are integrity, competency, physical courage, moral courage, and teamwork. The Armed Forces fulfill unique and crucial roles, defending the United States against all adversaries and serving the Nation as a bulwark and the guarantors of its security and independence. When called to action, the Armed Forces support and defend national interests worldwide. The Armed Forces embody the highest values and standards of American society and the profession of arms. The Armed Forces fulfill their roles, missions, and functions within the American system of civil-military relations. The Armed Forces also serve under the civilian control of the President who is the Commander in Chief. The nature of the challenges to the United States and its interests demand that the Armed Forces operate as a fully integrated joint team across the range of military operations. These operations may take place with the military forces of allies and coalition partners, US and foreign government agencies, state and local government agencies, and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. The challenges are best met when the unified action of the Armed Forces elicits the maximum contribution from each Service and Department of Defense (DOD) agency and their unique but complementary capabilities. The resulting synergy from their synchronized and integrated action is a direct reflection of those capabilities. Joint warfare is team warfare. Effective integration of joint forces exposes no weak points or seams to an adversary. They rapidly and efficiently find and exploit the adversary's critical vulnerabilities and other weak points as they contribute most to mission accomplishment. This does not mean that all forces will be equally represented in each operation. Joint force commanders (JFCs) may choose the capabilities they need from the forces at their disposal.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is undergoing a broad and deep transformation based on their analysis of the information technology-driven revolution in military affairs. As important as all the elements of military reform are, the most important aspect is developing a system of systems operational capability--the integration of C4ISR and forces to significantly multiply war-fighting capabilities. System of systems capability is the key enabler representing the necessary foundation for the advanced integrated joint operations capability the PLA is researching and experimenting with in exercises. These two developments are driving modernization requirements for advanced weapons and equipment as well as many other aspects of the PLA's transformation effort, including professional military education, joint training, military art (strategy, operational art, and tactics), command and coordination procedures, intelligence fusion, and joint logistics. Successful implementation of system of systems and integrated joint operations will transform the PLA into a modern military force, with greater agility, situational awareness, and lethality, greatly increasing combat capabilities. The current military reform effort addresses key modernization areas and plans to establish theater joint commands. A theater joint command structure will assist in accelerating overall military reforms--and movement toward an integrated joint capability in particular--as well as breaking parochial interests and institutional barriers that have slowed the pace of modernization in the past.

This revised edition of JP 2-0, Joint Intelligence, reflects the current guidance for conducting joint and multinational intelligence activities across the range of military operations. This vital keystone publication forms the core of joint intelligence doctrine and lays the foundation for our forces' ability to fully integrate operations, plans, and intelligence into a cohesive team. The overarching constructs and principles contained in this publication provide a common perspective from which to plan and execute joint intelligence operations in cooperation with our multinational partners, other US Government agencies, and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. As our Nation continues into the 21st century, joint intelligence organizations and capabilities will continue to evolve as our forces transform to meet emerging challenges. The guidance in this publication will enable current and future leaders of the Armed Forces of the United States to organize, train, and execute worldwide missions to counter the threats posed by adaptive adversaries. I encourage all leaders to study and understand the doctrinal concepts and principles contained in this publication and to teach these to your subordinates. Only then will we be able to fully exploit the remarkable military potential inherent in our joint teams. To that end, I request you ensure the widest possible distribution of this keystone joint publication. I further request that you actively promote the use of all joint publications at every opportunity.