National Planning: This Annex is intended to further enhance the preparedness of the United States by formally establishing a standard and comprehensive approach to national planning. It is meant to provide guidance for conducting planning in accordance with the Homeland Security Management System in the National Strategy for Homeland Security of 2007. Policy It is the policy of the United States Government to enhance the preparedness of the Nation by developing and maintaining a standardized approach to national planning to integrate and effect policy and operational objectives to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from all hazards, and comprises: (1) a standardized Federal planning process; (2) national planning doctrine; (3) resourced operational and tactical planning capabilities at each Federal department and agency with a role in homeland security; (4) strategic guidance, strategic plans, concepts of operations, and operations plans and as appropriate, tactical plans; and (5) a system for integrating plans among all levels of government There is established a planning process involving three levels of planning: (1) strategic; (2) operational; and (3) tactical. The planning process will result in the development of a family of related planning documents to include strategic guidance statements, strategic plans, concepts of operations, operations plans, and as appropriate, tactical plans. (33) No later than 2 months after the issuance of this Annex, the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) shall submit to the President for approval, through the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, an Integrated Planning System (IPS) that is developed in coordination with the heads of Federal agencies with a role in homeland security and that (1) provides common processes for developing plans, (2) serves to implement phase one of the Homeland Security Management System, and (3) includes the following: (4) national planning doctrine and planning guidance, instruction, and process to ensure consistent planning across the Federal Government; (4.a) a mechanism that provides for concept development to identify and analyze the mission and potential courses of action; (4.b) a description of the process that allows for plan refinement and proper execution to reflect developments in risk, capabilities, or policies, as well as to incorporate lessons learned from exercises and actual events; (4.c) a description of the process that links regional, State, local, and tribal plans, planning cycles, and processes and allows these plans to inform the development of Federal plans; (4.d) a process for fostering vertical and horizontal integration of Federal, State, local, and tribal plans that allows for State, local, and tribal capability assessments to feed into Federal plans; and (4.e) a guide for all-hazards planning, with comprehensive, practical guidance and instruction on fundamental planning principles that can be used at Federal, State, local, and tribal levels to assist the planning process. (DHS, HSPD 8 Annex 1: National Planning, 10 Jan 2008)