Step Four of the JIPOE process develops a rough understanding of the adversary's intent and future strategy. Which statement best reflects this?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. It depends

Answer: (B)

JIPOE Step Four is about turning threat information into plausible adversary courses of action. It asks: given what the adversary can do, what sequences of actions could they undertake to achieve their objectives? The focus is on generating several feasible ways the adversary might operate—including actions, timing, and movements—that could threaten the operation.

This step is not about stating the adversary’s explicit intent or long-term future strategy. Those elements are interpreted and refined in later steps, as you synthesize the COAs with the broader threat picture and potential behaviors. So attributing a rough understanding of adversary intent and future strategy to Step Four isn’t accurate; Step Four’s purpose is to produce plausible courses of action that reveal how the adversary might act, given constraints, rather than to articulate their overarching intent.