After receiving the mission, the commander's intent, and planning instructions, the staff develops a COA as a potential solution to a problem. It generates options for analysis and comparison, satisfying the commander's intent and planning guidance (Department of the Army, 2022). Course of action (COA) development is step 3 of the military decision-making process (MDMP). The purpose of COA development is to assist the commander in visualizing valid courses of action to meet his or her objectives. COA development involves thorough analysis, creativity, and critical thinking to generate multiple options that address the problem at hand. There are 8 substeps in the COA development stage of the MDMP