What does 'Simple' mean in planning and communicating orders?

• A. Plans should be long and detailed with many contingencies.
• B. Plans and messages should be clear, concise, and easy to understand; complexity leads to miscommunication and execution errors.
• C. Messages should be ambiguous to allow flexibility on the ground.
• D. Complex plans reduce the need for rehearsals.

Answer: (B)

Simple means making plans and orders clear and concise so everyone can understand them quickly and exactly what to do. When messages are easy to grasp, people know the mission, the commander’s intent, the tasks, and the sequence without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. Complexity invites miscommunication because subordinates fill gaps with their own assumptions, which can lead to errors in execution. A simple approach keeps focus on essential tasks and allows initiative on the ground, while still providing enough direction to align actions. Ambiguity or overly dense plans only adds confusion, and assuming complex plans reduce the need for rehearsals is misleading—rehearsals confirm clarity, not compensate for it.