CORPORAL'S COURSE TACTICAL PLANNING EXAM 2025/2026
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔OC-Obstacles-KA - ✔✔Obstacles are natural or manmade terrain features that
prevent, restrict, divert, or delay military movement.
✔✔OCO-Key Terrain-A - ✔✔Key terrain is any ground that must be controlled to
achieve military success.
✔✔OCOK-Avenues of Approach - ✔✔Avenue of approach is any relatively
unobstructed ground route that leads to an objective or key terrain.
✔✔Weather Analysis is when - ✔✔The leader determines how the weather will affect
visibility, mobility, and survivability of friendly and enemy units by considering the
military aspects of weather.
✔✔For visibility - ✔✔The leader identifies conclusions about visibility factors such as
light data (begin morning nautical twilight [BMNT], sunrise [SR], sunset [SS], end
evening nautical twilight [EENT], moonrise [MR], moonset [MS], and percentage of
illumination), fog, and smog, and about battlefield obscurants such as smoke and dust.
✔✔Winds of sufficient speed can - ✔✔reduce the combat effectiveness of a force as the
result of blowing dust, smoke, sand, or precipitation. Windblown sand, dust, rain, or
snow can reduce the effectiveness of radar and other communication systems. Strong
winds can also limit aviation operations.
✔✔Precipitation affects - ✔✔soil trafficability, visibility, and the functioning of many
electro-optical systems.
✔✔Cloud Cover affects - ✔✔ground operations by limiting illumination and the solar
heating of targets. Heavy cloud cover can degrade many target acquisition systems,
infrared-guided munitions, and general aviation operations.
✔✔Extremes of temperature and humidity reduce - ✔✔personnel and equipment
capabilities and may require the use of special shelter or equipment.
✔✔Civil considerations (human terrain) include - ✔✔the influences of man-made
infrastructure; civilian institutions; and the attitudes and activities of civilian leaders,
populations, and organizations within an AO, with regard to the conduct of military
operations.
✔✔Areas - ✔✔Key civilian areas are localities or aspects of the terrain within an AO that
have significance to the local populace.
,✔✔Analyzing a structure involves - ✔✔determining how its location, functions, and
capabilities can support operations.
✔✔Capabilities can refer to - ✔✔the ability of local authorities—those of the host nation
or some other body—to provide a populace with key functions or services.
✔✔Organizations are - ✔✔nonmilitary groups or institutions in the AO. They influence
and interact with the populace and each other.
✔✔People is a general term describing - ✔✔all nonmilitary personnel that military forces
encounter in the AO. This includes those personnel outside the AO whose actions,
opinions, or political influence can affect the mission.
✔✔Events are - ✔✔routine, cyclical, planned, or spontaneous activities that significantly
affect organizations, people, and military operations.
✔✔Troops and Fire Support Avaliable (Estimate of the Situation) - ✔✔Organic
Fire and support avaliable
Attachments and detachments
Higher and adjacent units
✔✔For organic you - ✔✔identify the capabilities and limitations of the assets your
organic unit will bring to bear on the enemy during the conduct of the mission.
✔✔For fire and support avaliable - ✔✔Identify locations, azimuths of fire, contact
information, employment (general support [GS], direct support [DS], or attached [(ATT]),
and any priority of fires of indirect fire support agencies.
In addition, identify any available air assets. What weapons will they bring to the fight?
What are the capabilities of their fires? When and how long are they on station?.
✔✔For attachments and detachments you identify - ✔✔Assets (if any) that will detach
from your unit
Units or assets that have been attached to your unit
How will this affect your ability to achieve mission success?
✔✔For higher and adjacent units you identify - ✔✔higher and adjacent units' schemes
of maneuver and what influence they will have on your scheme of maneuver. Consider
their effect on the following:
•Geometries of fire
•Reinforcement
, •Contingency plans
✔✔Time, space, and logistics (Estimate of the Situation) is - ✔✔the ability to appreciate
the aspects and effects of time and space is one of the most important qualities in a
leader. A leader must be able to identify resource shortfalls and have a plan to rectify
them.
✔✔Time is - ✔✔A solid understanding of time required versus time available is vital to
all operations; it drives planning and execution. The unit leader gets an indication of
time available from the commander.
•The amount of time a unit has to prepare for an operation determines the plan's level of
detail. Reverse planning is the method by which leaders should establish a successful
and accurate timeline that will uphold the assigned mission.
•Critical times to consider include planning time, time to cross the line of departure (LD),
movement time (helo, vehicular, foot-mobile, etc.; both opposed and unopposed rates of
movement should be considered), defend-no-later-than time, time to receive higher's
order, time to issue your order, time available to prepare and rehearse the attack or
defense, and time available for reconnaissance.
✔✔Space is - ✔✔A leader must know and understand the area of operations (AO).
•Identify tactical control measures (TCM) and fire support coordination measures
(FSCM) within your AO as applicable.
•Consider the geometry of fires and develop a plan to de-conflict converging forces.
✔✔Logistics is - ✔✔Logistics sustain operations. Without appropriate logistical planning,
units will reach their culminating point before ever reaching a decisive point. A leader
must be able to identify:
•Required resources to accomplish the mission from crossing the LD through
consolidation
•Critical resource shortfalls
•A realistic plan to fulfill shortfalls that is formulated, prioritized, and built into the timeline
before departure
✔✔Technique in the five paragraph order - ✔✔Clarity, simplicity, and timeliness are
essentials of an operation order. Clear, concise sentences are most easily understood.
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔OC-Obstacles-KA - ✔✔Obstacles are natural or manmade terrain features that
prevent, restrict, divert, or delay military movement.
✔✔OCO-Key Terrain-A - ✔✔Key terrain is any ground that must be controlled to
achieve military success.
✔✔OCOK-Avenues of Approach - ✔✔Avenue of approach is any relatively
unobstructed ground route that leads to an objective or key terrain.
✔✔Weather Analysis is when - ✔✔The leader determines how the weather will affect
visibility, mobility, and survivability of friendly and enemy units by considering the
military aspects of weather.
✔✔For visibility - ✔✔The leader identifies conclusions about visibility factors such as
light data (begin morning nautical twilight [BMNT], sunrise [SR], sunset [SS], end
evening nautical twilight [EENT], moonrise [MR], moonset [MS], and percentage of
illumination), fog, and smog, and about battlefield obscurants such as smoke and dust.
✔✔Winds of sufficient speed can - ✔✔reduce the combat effectiveness of a force as the
result of blowing dust, smoke, sand, or precipitation. Windblown sand, dust, rain, or
snow can reduce the effectiveness of radar and other communication systems. Strong
winds can also limit aviation operations.
✔✔Precipitation affects - ✔✔soil trafficability, visibility, and the functioning of many
electro-optical systems.
✔✔Cloud Cover affects - ✔✔ground operations by limiting illumination and the solar
heating of targets. Heavy cloud cover can degrade many target acquisition systems,
infrared-guided munitions, and general aviation operations.
✔✔Extremes of temperature and humidity reduce - ✔✔personnel and equipment
capabilities and may require the use of special shelter or equipment.
✔✔Civil considerations (human terrain) include - ✔✔the influences of man-made
infrastructure; civilian institutions; and the attitudes and activities of civilian leaders,
populations, and organizations within an AO, with regard to the conduct of military
operations.
✔✔Areas - ✔✔Key civilian areas are localities or aspects of the terrain within an AO that
have significance to the local populace.
,✔✔Analyzing a structure involves - ✔✔determining how its location, functions, and
capabilities can support operations.
✔✔Capabilities can refer to - ✔✔the ability of local authorities—those of the host nation
or some other body—to provide a populace with key functions or services.
✔✔Organizations are - ✔✔nonmilitary groups or institutions in the AO. They influence
and interact with the populace and each other.
✔✔People is a general term describing - ✔✔all nonmilitary personnel that military forces
encounter in the AO. This includes those personnel outside the AO whose actions,
opinions, or political influence can affect the mission.
✔✔Events are - ✔✔routine, cyclical, planned, or spontaneous activities that significantly
affect organizations, people, and military operations.
✔✔Troops and Fire Support Avaliable (Estimate of the Situation) - ✔✔Organic
Fire and support avaliable
Attachments and detachments
Higher and adjacent units
✔✔For organic you - ✔✔identify the capabilities and limitations of the assets your
organic unit will bring to bear on the enemy during the conduct of the mission.
✔✔For fire and support avaliable - ✔✔Identify locations, azimuths of fire, contact
information, employment (general support [GS], direct support [DS], or attached [(ATT]),
and any priority of fires of indirect fire support agencies.
In addition, identify any available air assets. What weapons will they bring to the fight?
What are the capabilities of their fires? When and how long are they on station?.
✔✔For attachments and detachments you identify - ✔✔Assets (if any) that will detach
from your unit
Units or assets that have been attached to your unit
How will this affect your ability to achieve mission success?
✔✔For higher and adjacent units you identify - ✔✔higher and adjacent units' schemes
of maneuver and what influence they will have on your scheme of maneuver. Consider
their effect on the following:
•Geometries of fire
•Reinforcement
, •Contingency plans
✔✔Time, space, and logistics (Estimate of the Situation) is - ✔✔the ability to appreciate
the aspects and effects of time and space is one of the most important qualities in a
leader. A leader must be able to identify resource shortfalls and have a plan to rectify
them.
✔✔Time is - ✔✔A solid understanding of time required versus time available is vital to
all operations; it drives planning and execution. The unit leader gets an indication of
time available from the commander.
•The amount of time a unit has to prepare for an operation determines the plan's level of
detail. Reverse planning is the method by which leaders should establish a successful
and accurate timeline that will uphold the assigned mission.
•Critical times to consider include planning time, time to cross the line of departure (LD),
movement time (helo, vehicular, foot-mobile, etc.; both opposed and unopposed rates of
movement should be considered), defend-no-later-than time, time to receive higher's
order, time to issue your order, time available to prepare and rehearse the attack or
defense, and time available for reconnaissance.
✔✔Space is - ✔✔A leader must know and understand the area of operations (AO).
•Identify tactical control measures (TCM) and fire support coordination measures
(FSCM) within your AO as applicable.
•Consider the geometry of fires and develop a plan to de-conflict converging forces.
✔✔Logistics is - ✔✔Logistics sustain operations. Without appropriate logistical planning,
units will reach their culminating point before ever reaching a decisive point. A leader
must be able to identify:
•Required resources to accomplish the mission from crossing the LD through
consolidation
•Critical resource shortfalls
•A realistic plan to fulfill shortfalls that is formulated, prioritized, and built into the timeline
before departure
✔✔Technique in the five paragraph order - ✔✔Clarity, simplicity, and timeliness are
essentials of an operation order. Clear, concise sentences are most easily understood.
