Which Step of the IPB process involves determining threat courses of action?

• A. Describe Battlefield Effects
• B. Define the Battlefield Environment
• C. Evaluate the Threat
• D. Determine Threat Courses of Action

Answer: (D)

In IPB, after you’ve built the understanding of the threat’s capabilities and potential behavior, you map out plausible enemy actions to anticipate what the threat might do next. This step—determining threat courses of action—produces the possible sequences of opponent moves that could exploit weaknesses or seize objectives, given the assessed capabilities and intent. By outlining these COAs, you can evaluate how they might unfold, influence your own defenses, and shape preparation and response plans. The other steps set the context—defining the battlefield environment and describing battlefield effects—or assess the threat at a high level, but they don’t specify the enemy’s possible action sequences.