Battle Environment Assessment for Commanders: A Concept of Support for Joint and Component Strategy and Operations.
Abstract
The successful military commander will study and anticipate his theater of operations. The process which provides commanders with the physical conditions of battle has evolved with the complexity of warfare. The broad study of military geography has found various interpretations in strategy and operations. Each evolution has adapted to specific needs. The broad scope of theater operations at the strategic and operational levels of war argues for the integration of the various physical battle zones into an integrated battle environment assessment. Technology is evolving to provide this integration. Limited personnel and materiel resources are forging a unification of effort among the myriad of environmental information providers and users. This paper asks the question: What can be done to give future commanders an assessment of the battle environment? It looks at an evolutionary spectrum of geographically based needs for commanders who conduct military operations at the strategic and operational levels of war. It then considers the current and developing joint and service organizational methods and some of the technologies which provide environmental data and analysis to address these needs. Unsatisfied or unanticipated needs are raised as problems. The proposed solutions to these problems encompass a conceptual approach through the Battle Environment Assessment, a management approach for joint policy and direction, an organizational approach through a joint environmental agency, and integration of military environmental capabilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 14, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA192418
Entities
People
- Robert F. Kirby
Organizations
- United States Army War College