What describes the essential MILDEC planning steps?

• A. Define objective; assess risks; identify deception assets; develop deception concepts; integrate with operations; test and monitor effects.
• B. Define objective; assess risks; identify deception assets; develop deception concepts; integrate with operations; test and monitor effects; adjust as needed.
• C. Define objective; identify deception assets; develop deception concepts; integrate with operations; adjust as needed.
• D. Define objective; assess risks; identify deception assets; develop deception concepts; integrate with operations; test and monitor effects; adjust as needed.

Answer: (B)

MILDEC planning is a structured, iterative flow that ensures deception supports the operation while managing risk. Start by defining the objective you want deception to achieve, then assess risks to understand potential collateral damage or detection issues. Next, identify the deception assets you can deploy and develop deception concepts that align with the objective. These concepts must then be integrated with the overall operation so they support, not conflict with, other activities. After putting the plan in motion, you test and monitor the effects to verify whether the deception is influencing the adversary as intended and to catch any unintended consequences. The final step is to adjust as needed, using what you learned from testing and monitoring to refine the plan, reallocate assets, tweak timing, or modify concepts for better effectiveness and lower risk. The completeness of this sequence—especially the feedback loop of testing, monitoring, and adjusting—is what makes it the best description of essential MILDEC planning.