This United States Army manual, Army Techniques Publication ATP 3-57.60 Civil Affairs Planning May 2024, provides U.S. Army doctrine for the CAO/civil-military operations (CMO) planning as a whole and CA doctrine for CAO planning. CA planning doctrine is aimed at achieving a unified plan of action in support of staff action planning procedures and the decision-making process-the joint planning process (JPP) and the military decision-making process (MDMP)-as they relate to CA-specific actions (civil considerations). This manual addresses the CA aspects of troop leading procedures (TLP), the MDMP, the Army design methodology (ADM), operational design and the JPP, and transition planning considerations, where CAO planners apply civil considerations to meet the commander's objectives. The commander must always consider the civil component within the area of operations. The principal audience for this publication is the CAO planner. The commander is responsible for planning, and it is the CAO planner's responsibility to apply the commander's vision as it relates to all the aspects of civil considerations. It is also applicable to the Army's leaders, which includes officers and noncommissioned officers that command Army forces or serve on the staffs that support those commanding U.S. forces at all levels of warfare. In addition, ATP 3-57.60 gives credible information to the civilian leaders of the United States.
