Commander’s Intent and the LIPER

Applicable across all phases of the Disaster Cycle, Life Safety must be prioritized in professional Emergency Management

A military concept, where the prime objectives for a campaign are highlighted for subordinates, the concept of Commander’s Intent is also applicable to professional Emergency Management. Albeit the objectives are clearly different – the military’s may be “defeat the enemy” or “take this hill in the next 24 hours” – the workflow is the same for Emergency Management. These are top-level ‘marching orders’, whereby your missions must align with them and their prioritization.

Todd T DeVoe

wrote about Commander’s Intent and why Emergency Management should embrace it, back in 2022:

Todd wrote:

The role of the Commander's Intent is to empower subordinates and guide their initiative and improvisation as they adapt the plan to the changing environment. Commander's Intent empowers initiative, improvisation, and adaptation by providing guidance on what a successful conclusion looks like. Commander's Intent is vital in chaotic, demanding, and dynamic environments.

You can read

Michael Prasad, MA, CEM®

’s take on Commander’s Intent as it relates to the LIPER, over at

the CEMIR's Substack

.