The Marine Corps doctrine manual Warfighting states: “There are two parts to any mission: the task to be accomplished and the reason or intent behind it.” It continues: “The task denotes what is to be done, and sometimes when and where; the intent explains why.”
The Army’s doctrine publication ADP 6-0 defined commander’s intent as “a clear and concise expression of the purpose of the operation and the desired military end state.” Tasks “include all the standard elements (who, what, when, where, and why).”