What are the four steps of IPOE?

• A. Define the OE; Describe Environmental effects on Ops; Evaluate the Threat; Determine Threat COAs
• B. Define the Enemy; Map the terrain; Assess weather; Predict operations
• C. Plan, Prepare, React, Recover
• D. Observe, Orient, Decide, Act

Answer: (A)

IPOE is the process used to understand the operational environment and the threat by analyzing it in a structured way to inform planning. The four steps are defining the operational environment so you know what area, actors, and conditions matter; describing how environmental factors—terrain, weather, civil considerations, and other effects—could influence operations; evaluating the threat by assessing adversaries’ capabilities, activities, and limitations; and determining threat courses of action, or the probable ways the threat will operate that you need to anticipate and counter.

This set exactly mirrors the four-step sequence described for IPOE. The other options point to different frameworks or elements (for example, the Observe–Orient–Decide–Act loop, or generic planning cycles), but they do not capture the specific IPOE four-step structure.