CGSC X100 EXAMINATION 2026 SET QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Elements of Operational Design - ✔✔Termination, Military End State, Objectives,
Effects, CoG, Decisive Points, LOO/LOEs, Direct & Indirect Approach, Anticipation,
Operational Reach, Culmination, Arranging Operations, Forces & Functions, Phasing
✔✔Critical Capabilities - ✔✔verb; considered crucial enablers for a COG to function as
such, and are essential to the accomplishment of the adversary's assumed objective(s)
✔✔Critical Requirements - ✔✔noun; the conditions, resources, and means that enable
a critical capability to become fully operational
✔✔Critical Vulnerability - ✔✔aspects or components of critical requirements that are
deficient and can be targeted
✔✔Decisive Point - ✔✔a geographic place, specific key event, critical factor, or function
that, when acted upon, allows commanders to gain a marked advantage
✔✔ULO - ✔✔how the Army seizes, retains, and exploits the initiative to gain and
maintain a position of relative advantage in sustained land operations
✔✔Four Foundations of ULO - ✔✔Begins and ends with the initiative. Executed through
DA. Army Core Competencies. Guided by Mission Command.
✔✔Operational Initiative - ✔✔Is setting or dictating the terms of action throughout the
operation
✔✔Personal Initiative - ✔✔The willingness to act in the absence of orders, when
existing orders no longer make sense, or the unforeseen arises
✔✔Philosophy of Mission Command - ✔✔the exercise of authority and direction by the
commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander's
intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations
✔✔C2 (command and control) - ✔✔the related tasks and C2 systems that support the
commander's exercise of authority and direction.
✔✔Decision Point - ✔✔a point in space or time the commander or staff anticipate
making a key decision concerning a specific course of action.
✔✔Decisive Operation - ✔✔the operation that directly accomplishes the mission. It
determines the outcome of a major operation, battle, or engagement. The decisive
operation is the focal point around which commanders design an entire operation.
,✔✔Three operational frameworks - ✔✔Decisive-Shaping-Sustaining. Deep-Close-
Security. Main Effort-Supporting Effort.
✔✔What is IPB? - ✔✔the systematic process of analyzing of METT-TC in the AI to
determine their effect on operations.
✔✔What is JIPOE? - ✔✔a systematic approach used by intelligence personnel to
analyze the adversary and other relevant aspects of the operational environment.
✔✔The 4 Steps to IPB - ✔✔1) Define the OE. 2) Describe the Environmental Effects on
Operations. 3) Evaluate the Threat. 4) Determine Threat/Adversary COAs.
✔✔Characteristics of the Defense - ✔✔Disruption, Flexibility, Maneuver,
Mass/Concentration, Operations in Depth, Preparation, Security
✔✔Primary Defensive Tasks - ✔✔Area Defense, Mobile Defense, Retrograde
✔✔Forms of Defense - ✔✔Defense of a Linear Obstacle, Perimeter Defense, Defense
of a Reverse Slope
✔✔2 Types of Power - ✔✔Personal (commitment) and Positional (compliance)
✔✔3 Types of Influence Techniques - ✔✔Hard, soft, and rational
✔✔Define Organizational Climate - ✔✔consists of collective perceptions of the work
environment formed by members of the organization based on actions, policies, and
procedures of the leadership
✔✔Define Organizational Culture - ✔✔The shared beliefs of a group used to solve
problems and manage internal anxiety
✔✔Define Joint Operations - ✔✔means military actions conducted by joint forces and
those Service forces employed in specified command relationships with each other.
✔✔What is an RMA? - ✔✔The assembly of a complex mix of tactical, organizational,
doctrinal, and technological innovations in order to implement a new conceptual
approach to warfare or specialized sub-branch of warfare
✔✔What is JCIDS? - ✔✔a need driven joint capabilities-based requirements generation
process
,✔✔What is the purpose of JCIDS? - ✔✔The objective is to develop a balanced and
synchronized DOTMLPF-P solution that is affordable, useful, effective, supportable, and
based on mature technology
✔✔What is DAS - ✔✔Defense Acquisition System (DAS). A management process to
translate user needs and technological opportunities into reliable and sustainable
systems
✔✔What is the JCIDS - ✔✔relationship to DAS? JCIDS is related to the DAS by the
MDD
✔✔Examples of RMA - ✔✔• England's 14th Cent RMA Dutch & Swedish tactical
reforms • French tactical and org reforms • National political & economic mobilization •
Napoleonic warfare • Tech rev in land warfare (pre-WWI) • Combined-arms tactics and
operations
✔✔What is the goal of Force Management - ✔✔To provide trained and ready units for
the Combatant Commanders
✔✔What is the Army Force Development Process? - ✔✔It is a five-phase process that
is the start point, rationale and underlying basis for defining the Army's force structure.
The force development process consists of defining required military capabilities,
designing force structures to provide these capabilities, and translating organizational
concepts into a trained and ready Army.
✔✔What are the 5 Phases of the Army Force Development Process? - ✔✔1) Develop
Capabilities 2) Design Organizations 3) Develop Organizational Models 4) Determine
Authorizations 5) Document Organization Authorizations
✔✔Why is Force Management important? - ✔✔Force Management is important
because it ensures that today's Army can rapidly respond to the challenges of today and
the future. Force management is future readiness.
✔✔What are the 4 steps in the Material Acquisition Process? - ✔✔1) Initial Capabilities
Document (ICD) 2) Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) 3) Capabilities Development
Document (CDD) 4) Capabilities Production Document (CPD)
✔✔What is an Initial Capabilities Document? - ✔✔The ICD documents the need for
non-materiel and/or materiel solution approaches to resolve a specific high risk
capability gap derived from the JCIDS C-BA process.
✔✔What is a Capabilities Development Document? - ✔✔The CDD is the warfighter's
primary means of defining authoritative, measurable, and/or testable capabilities for the
Engineering and Manufacturing phase of an acquisition program.
, ✔✔What is the Capabilities Production Document? - ✔✔The CPD is the warfighter's
primary means of providing authoritative and testable capabilities for the Production and
Deployment (P&D) phase of an acquisition program.
✔✔What is an Analysis of Alternatives? - ✔✔The AoA evaluates potential materiel
solutions to satisfy validated capabilities and supports a decision on the most cost
effective, affordable solution to meet the validated capability requirement(s).
✔✔What is doctrine? - ✔✔the body of professional knowledge that guides how Soldiers
employ land power in a distinctly American way.
✔✔What is the purpose of doctrine? - ✔✔serves as a starting point for thinking about
and conducting operations. In other words, it serves as a common professional
language for amongst service members and as a common frame of reference for
discussing operations.
✔✔Who are the Statutory / Principle members of the National Security
Organization/Council? - ✔✔President Vice President Secretary of State Secretary of
Energy Secretary of Defense
✔✔Who are the Statutory / Principle advisors of the National Security
Organization/Council? - ✔✔Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Chairman of the Joint
Chief of Staff (CJCS)
✔✔What is the purpose of a National Security Strategy? - ✔✔To Articulate national
interest and basic policy direction and intent to the rest of the world.
✔✔Define "Ends"? - ✔✔What is to be accomplished (objectives)
✔✔Define "Ways"? - ✔✔How objectives are to be accomplished by the employment of
DIME.
✔✔Define "Means"? - ✔✔Determine types and levels of resources that are necessary to
support the concepts of strategy.
✔✔What does "Strategy" do? - ✔✔Lays down what is important and to be achieved,
sets the parameters for the necessary actions, and prescribes what the state is willing to
allocate in terms of resources.
✔✔Achieving national strategic objectives requires effective unified action resulting in
unity of effort. This is accomplished by collaboration, synchronization, and coordination
in the use of what? - ✔✔"DIME" - instruments of national power
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Elements of Operational Design - ✔✔Termination, Military End State, Objectives,
Effects, CoG, Decisive Points, LOO/LOEs, Direct & Indirect Approach, Anticipation,
Operational Reach, Culmination, Arranging Operations, Forces & Functions, Phasing
✔✔Critical Capabilities - ✔✔verb; considered crucial enablers for a COG to function as
such, and are essential to the accomplishment of the adversary's assumed objective(s)
✔✔Critical Requirements - ✔✔noun; the conditions, resources, and means that enable
a critical capability to become fully operational
✔✔Critical Vulnerability - ✔✔aspects or components of critical requirements that are
deficient and can be targeted
✔✔Decisive Point - ✔✔a geographic place, specific key event, critical factor, or function
that, when acted upon, allows commanders to gain a marked advantage
✔✔ULO - ✔✔how the Army seizes, retains, and exploits the initiative to gain and
maintain a position of relative advantage in sustained land operations
✔✔Four Foundations of ULO - ✔✔Begins and ends with the initiative. Executed through
DA. Army Core Competencies. Guided by Mission Command.
✔✔Operational Initiative - ✔✔Is setting or dictating the terms of action throughout the
operation
✔✔Personal Initiative - ✔✔The willingness to act in the absence of orders, when
existing orders no longer make sense, or the unforeseen arises
✔✔Philosophy of Mission Command - ✔✔the exercise of authority and direction by the
commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander's
intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations
✔✔C2 (command and control) - ✔✔the related tasks and C2 systems that support the
commander's exercise of authority and direction.
✔✔Decision Point - ✔✔a point in space or time the commander or staff anticipate
making a key decision concerning a specific course of action.
✔✔Decisive Operation - ✔✔the operation that directly accomplishes the mission. It
determines the outcome of a major operation, battle, or engagement. The decisive
operation is the focal point around which commanders design an entire operation.
,✔✔Three operational frameworks - ✔✔Decisive-Shaping-Sustaining. Deep-Close-
Security. Main Effort-Supporting Effort.
✔✔What is IPB? - ✔✔the systematic process of analyzing of METT-TC in the AI to
determine their effect on operations.
✔✔What is JIPOE? - ✔✔a systematic approach used by intelligence personnel to
analyze the adversary and other relevant aspects of the operational environment.
✔✔The 4 Steps to IPB - ✔✔1) Define the OE. 2) Describe the Environmental Effects on
Operations. 3) Evaluate the Threat. 4) Determine Threat/Adversary COAs.
✔✔Characteristics of the Defense - ✔✔Disruption, Flexibility, Maneuver,
Mass/Concentration, Operations in Depth, Preparation, Security
✔✔Primary Defensive Tasks - ✔✔Area Defense, Mobile Defense, Retrograde
✔✔Forms of Defense - ✔✔Defense of a Linear Obstacle, Perimeter Defense, Defense
of a Reverse Slope
✔✔2 Types of Power - ✔✔Personal (commitment) and Positional (compliance)
✔✔3 Types of Influence Techniques - ✔✔Hard, soft, and rational
✔✔Define Organizational Climate - ✔✔consists of collective perceptions of the work
environment formed by members of the organization based on actions, policies, and
procedures of the leadership
✔✔Define Organizational Culture - ✔✔The shared beliefs of a group used to solve
problems and manage internal anxiety
✔✔Define Joint Operations - ✔✔means military actions conducted by joint forces and
those Service forces employed in specified command relationships with each other.
✔✔What is an RMA? - ✔✔The assembly of a complex mix of tactical, organizational,
doctrinal, and technological innovations in order to implement a new conceptual
approach to warfare or specialized sub-branch of warfare
✔✔What is JCIDS? - ✔✔a need driven joint capabilities-based requirements generation
process
,✔✔What is the purpose of JCIDS? - ✔✔The objective is to develop a balanced and
synchronized DOTMLPF-P solution that is affordable, useful, effective, supportable, and
based on mature technology
✔✔What is DAS - ✔✔Defense Acquisition System (DAS). A management process to
translate user needs and technological opportunities into reliable and sustainable
systems
✔✔What is the JCIDS - ✔✔relationship to DAS? JCIDS is related to the DAS by the
MDD
✔✔Examples of RMA - ✔✔• England's 14th Cent RMA Dutch & Swedish tactical
reforms • French tactical and org reforms • National political & economic mobilization •
Napoleonic warfare • Tech rev in land warfare (pre-WWI) • Combined-arms tactics and
operations
✔✔What is the goal of Force Management - ✔✔To provide trained and ready units for
the Combatant Commanders
✔✔What is the Army Force Development Process? - ✔✔It is a five-phase process that
is the start point, rationale and underlying basis for defining the Army's force structure.
The force development process consists of defining required military capabilities,
designing force structures to provide these capabilities, and translating organizational
concepts into a trained and ready Army.
✔✔What are the 5 Phases of the Army Force Development Process? - ✔✔1) Develop
Capabilities 2) Design Organizations 3) Develop Organizational Models 4) Determine
Authorizations 5) Document Organization Authorizations
✔✔Why is Force Management important? - ✔✔Force Management is important
because it ensures that today's Army can rapidly respond to the challenges of today and
the future. Force management is future readiness.
✔✔What are the 4 steps in the Material Acquisition Process? - ✔✔1) Initial Capabilities
Document (ICD) 2) Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) 3) Capabilities Development
Document (CDD) 4) Capabilities Production Document (CPD)
✔✔What is an Initial Capabilities Document? - ✔✔The ICD documents the need for
non-materiel and/or materiel solution approaches to resolve a specific high risk
capability gap derived from the JCIDS C-BA process.
✔✔What is a Capabilities Development Document? - ✔✔The CDD is the warfighter's
primary means of defining authoritative, measurable, and/or testable capabilities for the
Engineering and Manufacturing phase of an acquisition program.
, ✔✔What is the Capabilities Production Document? - ✔✔The CPD is the warfighter's
primary means of providing authoritative and testable capabilities for the Production and
Deployment (P&D) phase of an acquisition program.
✔✔What is an Analysis of Alternatives? - ✔✔The AoA evaluates potential materiel
solutions to satisfy validated capabilities and supports a decision on the most cost
effective, affordable solution to meet the validated capability requirement(s).
✔✔What is doctrine? - ✔✔the body of professional knowledge that guides how Soldiers
employ land power in a distinctly American way.
✔✔What is the purpose of doctrine? - ✔✔serves as a starting point for thinking about
and conducting operations. In other words, it serves as a common professional
language for amongst service members and as a common frame of reference for
discussing operations.
✔✔Who are the Statutory / Principle members of the National Security
Organization/Council? - ✔✔President Vice President Secretary of State Secretary of
Energy Secretary of Defense
✔✔Who are the Statutory / Principle advisors of the National Security
Organization/Council? - ✔✔Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Chairman of the Joint
Chief of Staff (CJCS)
✔✔What is the purpose of a National Security Strategy? - ✔✔To Articulate national
interest and basic policy direction and intent to the rest of the world.
✔✔Define "Ends"? - ✔✔What is to be accomplished (objectives)
✔✔Define "Ways"? - ✔✔How objectives are to be accomplished by the employment of
DIME.
✔✔Define "Means"? - ✔✔Determine types and levels of resources that are necessary to
support the concepts of strategy.
✔✔What does "Strategy" do? - ✔✔Lays down what is important and to be achieved,
sets the parameters for the necessary actions, and prescribes what the state is willing to
allocate in terms of resources.
✔✔Achieving national strategic objectives requires effective unified action resulting in
unity of effort. This is accomplished by collaboration, synchronization, and coordination
in the use of what? - ✔✔"DIME" - instruments of national power
