What is the purpose of the CJCS Planning Order?

Answer 1

From Joint Staff Officers Guide, AFSC Pub 1:

At the Joint Staff level, the Planning Order generally equates to a planning directive in the deliberate planning process and will contain all readily available guidance pertaining to the crisis. The precise contents of the Planning Order may vary widely depending on the nature of the crisis and the degree of prior planning. Where little or no prior planning exists to meet a crisis, the supported commander will be given the guidance necessary to permit him to begin crisis planning. The Planning Order should be issued as soon as possible, even if detailed guidance is not available. NORMALLY, THE PLANNING ORDER WILL ALLOCATE MAJOR COMBAT FORCES AND STRATEGIC LIFT AVAILABLE FOR PLANNING. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SHOULD BE ISSUED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN MESSAGE FORM AND REFERENCE THE INITIAL PLANNING ORDER.