AFDD 2-1.9, page 35

25 The tasking cycle has usually been represented as a set of distinct processes that separately accomplish targeting, apportion and allocate joint air capabilities, and produce the ATO. In fact, these processes are all closely interrelated aspects of the larger, overarching joint operation planning and execution system that is integrated throughout the campaign by the CFC. Regarding them as distinct entities misses the central insight that they must work together as an integrated whole if targeting and tasking are to be most effective. Targeting and ATO production are essential to the tasking cycle. Although the targeting and tasking cycles perform separate and distinct functions, they are highly intertwined and require close coordination between them and they run almost exactly in parallel once a daily battle rhythm is established. The tasking cycle as a whole encompasses the entire process of taking commanders’ intent and guidance, determining where to apply force or other actions to fulfill that intent, matching available capabilities and forces with targets, putting this information into an integrated, synchronized, and coordinated order, distributing that order to all users, monitoring execution of the order to adapt to changes in the battlespace, and assessing the results of that execution. The cycle is built around finite time periods that are required to plan, integrate and coordinate, prepare for, conduct, and assess air operations. These time periods may vary from theater to theater and much targeting effort may not be bound specifically to the cycle’s timeframe, but the tasking cycle and its constituent processes drive the CAOC’s battle rhythm and thus helps determine deadlines and milestones for related processes, including targeting. A principal purpose of the tasking cycle is to produce orders and supporting documentation to place a flexible array of capabilities in a position to create desired effects in support of the CFC’s campaign. This cycle is driven by the tyranny of time and distance. It takes time for ground crew to prepare aircraft for flight, for aircrew to plan missions, and for aircrew to fly to the immediate theater of operations from distant airfields. Likewise, commanders must have enough visibility on future operations to ensure sufficient assets and crews are available to prepare for and perform tasked missions. These requirements drive the execution of a periodic, repeatable tasking process to allow commanders to plan for upcoming operations. The ATO (usually 24 hours in duration) and the process that develops it (usually 72-96 hours in duration) are a direct consequence of these physical constraints. In contrast to the misperception that targeting information must be provided to the CFACC 72-96 hours in advance to allow targets to be struck by air assets, targets can actually be struck in minutes from when information is made available in the dynamic targeting process. The key to both the flexibility and versatility of deliberate and dynamic targeting is a shared understanding among the functional components of anticipated air, land, maritime and information operations during the period of the air plan. Misperceptions also arise because other components may not have visibility on the wide variety of missions tasked to the air component in support of the CFC’s campaign and because air assets are often tasked to simultaneously conduct missions supporting overlapping campaign phases.