The TBMD battle will be fast, fluid, and ever-changing. The level of engagement coordination may require fine-tuning from day to day, hour to hour, or even minute to minute. Hard choices also imply acceptance of risk. Others he will plainly and simply have to carry out. Indeed, the matter of calculated risk permeates realistic planning for TBMD , from logistical questions of acceptable fuel states and marginal rearming ports to political compromises between force protection and foreign population defense.
Political factors bear directly on hard choices regarding rules of engagement.
He also has a duty up the chain of command. To do so effectively, he must have made other choices in preparation for the transition, beginning with a decision to plan his TBMD fight jointly. To the greatest extent possible, planning methods, language, and execution should adhere to commonly held joint standards. Otherwise, the TBMD battle cannot be handed off expeditiously as the fight moves inland from the littoral. One Mission Enabling Many.