Rehearsal
A rehearsal is a structured pre-execution practice through which a command builds common understanding, tests a plan, and improves synchronization before action [@fustvance2022; @tmdtc2025].
The term matters because planning alone does not show whether a force actually shares the same assumptions about sequence, timing, and responsibility. A rehearsal exposes those assumptions while there is still time to correct them.
Rehearsal therefore sits between orders and execution. It is where a plan is translated into a form that subordinate leaders and staffs can actually use under pressure.
Sources
References
[fustvance2022] Brian N. Fust, Matthew Vance. (2022). Have We Forgotten the Rehearsal?. NCO Journal. https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2022/September/Have-We-Forgotten-the-Rehearsal/
[tmdtc2025] Training Management Directorate, Combined Arms Center-Training. (2025). TMD Publishes Training Circular to Augment FM and ADP 7-0. The United States Army. https://www.army.mil/article/283214/tmd_publishes_training_circular_to_augment_fm_and_adp_7_0