This article offers contemporary military planners and other interested parties an insight into the challenges of planning joint fires in support of high-intensity warfare at the operational level in the 21st Century. Rob Alsworth and Andrew Tidmarsh draw on their experiences with Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve in 2017 to examine the complexities of coalition operations in an environment of maximum scrutiny, minimum footprint and the unclear intent of numerous, diverse stakeholders.