This publication describes the theory and philosophy of military planning as practiced by the U.S. Marine Corps. The intent is to describe how we can prepare effectively for future action when the future is uncertain and unpredictable. In so doing, this publication provides all Marines a conceptual framework for planning in peace, in crisis, or in war. This approach to planning is based on our common understanding of the nature of war and on our warfighting philosophy of maneuver warfare as described in Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 1, Warfighting.

The manual describes the general strategy for the U.S. Marines but it is beneficial for not only every Marine to read but concepts on leadership can be gathered to lead a business to a family. If you want to see what make Marines so effective this book is a good place to start.

This publication is about winning in combat. Winning requires many things: excellence in techniques, an appreciation of the enemy, exemplary leadership, battlefield judgment, and focused combat power. Yet these factors by themselves do not ensure success in battle. Many armies, both winners and losers, have possessed many or all of these attributes. When we examine closely the differences between victor and vanquished, we draw one conclusion. Success went to the armies whose leaders, senior and junior, could best focus their efforts-their skills and their resources-toward a decisive end. Their success arose not merely from excellence in techniques, procedures, and material but from their leaders' abilities to uniquely and effectively combine them. Winning in combat depends upon tactical leaders who can think creatively and act decisively.

MCDP 1 WARFIGHTING Since Fleet Marine Force Manual 1, Warfighting, was first published in 1989, it has had a significant impact both inside and outside the Marine Corps. That manual has changed the way Marines think about warfare. It has caused energetic debate and has been translated into several foreign languages, issued by foreign militaries, and published commercially. It has strongly influenced the development of doctrine by our sister Services. Our current naval doctrine is based on the tenets of maneuver warfare as described in that publication. Current and emerging concepts such as operational maneuver from the sea derive their doctrinal foundation from the philosophy contained in Warfighting. Our philosophy of warfighting, as described in the manual, is in consonance with joint doctrine, contributing to our ability to operate harmoniously with the other Services.

This United States Marine Corps USMC manual, Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication MCDP 1-4 Competing December 2020, is designed to be read from cover to cover. This publication does not contain specific techniques or procedures we should adopt. Rather, it provides broad guidance in the form of concepts, with illustrations intended to stimulate thinking and encourage additional learning. It requires judgment in application.

This manual provides guidance for the organization, planning, and conduct of the full range of military operations on urbanized terrain. This publication was prepared primarily for commanders, staffs, and subordinate leaders down to the squad and fire team level. It is written from a Marine air-ground task force perspective, with emphasis on the ground combat element as the most likely supported element in that environment. It provides the level of detailed information that supports the complexities of planning, preparing for, and executing small-unit combat operations on urbanized terrain. It also provides historical and environmental information that supports planning and training for combat in built-up areas

This United States Marine Corps manual, Marine Corps Warfighting Publication MCWP 5-10 Marine Corps Planning Process August 2020, was first published in January 2000 as MCWP 5-1. Since that time, Marine Corps forces at all echelons of command have used the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP) to conduct the range of military operations. The use of design over the last decade suggests that design is more than conceptual planning which establishes aims, objectives, and intentions. A more critical role of design is to promote understanding of the current situation as a basis for broad solutions. While design establishes the nature of the problem, the inclusion of a design methodology in this revision aids commanders, staffs, and planners in determining the problem set and a framework for solving them. The publication's design methodology reflects a belief that sufficient complexity can exist at all levels of warfare and across the conflict continuum to include tactical situations that will require an understanding of the set of problems that hinder movement from the current state to the desired state of an operational environment. Among all critical factors bearing on military operations, time is defining. The MCPP helps Marines win the time fight through a promotion of intuitive understanding, commander's intent, and the use of task and purpose when operating inside an established paradigm. Another time aid is the center of gravity techniques used to determine which of the actions that address a problemset will be decisive. These visions of decisiveness inform the convergence of combat powerthrough main and supporting efforts and resource priorities. The publication focuses primarily on commanders with staffs; however, any Marine required to plan operations should know the planning process well enough to determine the problem, envision a desired state, and develop options for achieving that state. This publication supersedes MCWP 5-10, Marine Corps Planning Process, dated 24 August 2010. MCWP 5-10 implements North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 2014, NATO Formats for Orders and Designation of Timing, Locations, and Boundaries.