DISTRIBUTION - SDL No. 170
NON-STANDARD DISTRIBUTION:
Commandant
United States Coast Guard
US Coast Guard Stop 7318
2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Washington DC 20593-7318
Staff Symbol: DCO
Phone: (202) 372-2000
Fax: (202) 372-8342
COMDTINST 3120.4B
09 DEC 2021
COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 3120.4B
COAST GUARD STANDARD OPERATIONAL PLANNING PROCESS/GLOBAL
FORCE MANAGEMENT
(a) Commandant’s Executive Decision-Making (EDM) Process, COMDTINST 5420.40
(series)
(b) Standard Operational Planning Process/Global Force Management Process Guide
1. PURPOSE. This Instruction updates policies, procedures, roles, and responsibilities for the Coast
Guard’s Standard Operational Planning Process (SOPP) and for Coast Guard Global Force
Management (GFM). The acronym SOPP/GFM is used to describe a deliberative planning process
for translating Coast Guard enterprise-wide strategic intent into effective mission execution. Coast
Guard SOPP/GFM serves as the central mechanism to integrate long-range planning and budgeting
through annual collaborative contributions and feedback, mission priorities, program guidance, and
resource apportionment and allocation. Furthermore, the SOPP/GFM process ensures resource
alignment with National, Department, and Coast Guard priorities. The primary objectives of
SOPP/GFM are to:
a. Standardize operational planning products for use by the Deputy Commandant for Operations
(DCO), the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS), Area Commanders, Districts,
Sectors, and other operational commands;
b. Establish a Coast Guard GFM process and governance structure including a Flag-level Global
Force Management Board (GFMB) and O-6 level Global Force Management Board Working
Group (GFMB-WG);
c. Adapt the SOPP/GFM cycle to align with the Department of Defense GFM process and account
for other departmental and interagency requests for Coast Guard forces;
