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58-412: For many years, the understanding of the military operational environment has transformed from primarily a time and space-driven linear understanding (a " battlefield ") to a multi-dimensional system of systems understanding (a battlespace). This system of systems understanding implies that managing the battlespace has become more complex, primarily because of the increased importance of the cognitive domain,

116-400: A pitched battle , although the battlefield is not formally agreed upon, either side can choose to withdraw rather than engaging in the battle. The occurrence of the battle therefore generally reflects the belief by both sides that the battlefield and other circumstances are advantageous for their side. Some locations are chosen for certain features giving advantage to one side or another. In

174-404: A trophy on the field of battle, initially of arms stripped from the defeated enemy. Later these trophies might be replaced by more permanent memorials in stone or bronze. Another means by which historic battles are commemorated is historical reenactment . Such events are typically held at the location of the original battle, but if circumstances make that inconvenient, reenactors may replicate

232-401: A battle, one has to understand the battlefield. Some maps may indicate battlefield sites with a crossed-sword signifier (⚔). Many battlefields from specific historic battles are preserved as historic landmarks. The study area of a battlefield includes all places related to contributing to the battle event: where troops deployed and maneuvered before, during, and after the engagement; it is

290-439: A battlefield, in the industrial age, may be a railway line or a highway As technology grows more sophisticated, the length of the "tail", upon which the troops at the front depend, gets longer, and the number of places a battle can be decided (beyond the immediate point of contact) grows. The concept of the battlefield arises at various points in the law of war , the international law and custom governing geographic restrictions on

348-454: A comprehensive understanding of the battlespace, which in turn drives the renewed emphasis on the value of military intelligence. A central aspect of battlespace agility is the capacity of intelligence analysts and operational planners to perceive the battlespace and their targets as interconnected networks. This perspective facilitates a shared and more accurate understanding of the situation, thereby enabling faster decision-making and enhancing

406-442: A direct result of the information age. Today, militaries are expected to understand the effects of their actions on the operational environment as a whole, and not just in the military domain of their operational environment. The evolution of competition and conflict during the industrial age has led to a corresponding transformation in the ability to engage in warfare in the information age . The concept of thinking and fighting in

464-484: A gently inclined ground, favourable for attack as well as defence; farther, if the lines lean on villages and woods, each of which forms, by its saliency, a sort of defensive bastion, the army becomes almost impregnable, without being reduced to inaction. During World War I, for instance, the An Nafud behind Aqaba seemed impassible, until a force of Arab rebels led by T. E. Lawrence successfully crossed it to capture

522-439: A military force, and/or completing its mission. Battlespace awareness is a comprehensive approach rooted in the acquisition and comprehension of knowledge obtained through the intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system. It serves as a systematic concept employed to gather pertinent information regarding the operational area, encompassing various aspects such as the environment, factors, and conditions. These include

580-417: A nuanced understanding of the evolving battlespace and the ability to adapt military structures and strategies to effectively compete and defend against adversaries in the information age. Battlespace agility, in the context of war-fighting, encompasses the ability of a military organization to rapidly convert knowledge into actionable strategies that yield desired outcomes within the battlespace. It emphasizes

638-484: A perfection rarely obtained. Rome had the same preference. By the 20th Century, many military organizations had specialist units, trained to fight in particular geographic areas, like mountains (Alpine units), desert (such as the LRDG ), or jungle (such as Britain's Chindits and later U.S. Special Forces ), or on skis. Others were trained for delivery by aircraft ( air portable ), glider , or parachute ( airborne ); after

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696-456: Is a concept involved in the practice of maneuver warfare that are used for shaping a situation on the battlefield, gaining the military advantage for the commander. It forecasts the elimination of the enemy's capability by fighting in a coherent manner before deploying determine-sized forces. Battlefield A battlefield , battleground , or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare . It

754-482: Is a principle derived from military philosophy that holds significant value for joint component and force commanders, aiding them in predicting potential courses of action before deploying troops into a designated area of operation (AO). It relies on the utilization of intelligence preparation assets, which play a critical role in supporting commanders to maintain a heightened state of awareness regarding recent, ongoing, and forthcoming events within their battlespace. It

812-558: Is based around its knowledge and understanding obtained by the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) system. It is another methodical concept used to gain information about the operational area—the environment, factors, and conditions, including the status of friendly and adversary forces, neutrals and noncombatants, weather and terrain—that enables timely, relevant, comprehensive and accurate assessments. It has become an effective concept for conventional and unconventional operations in successfully projecting, or protecting,

870-522: Is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops covering broad geographic areas. Although the term implies that battles are typically fought in a field – an open stretch of level ground – it applies to any type of terrain on which a battle is fought. The term can also have legal significance, and battlefields may have substantial historical and cultural value—the battlefield has been described as "a place where ideals and loyalties are put to

928-423: Is typically the location of large numbers of deaths. Given the intensity of combat, it may not be possible to easily retrieve bodies from the battlefield leading to the observation that "[a] battlefield is a graveyard without the gravestones". Ammunition remains and war material are still found today on battlefields and front lines from World War I and World War II . In particular, the battlefields and positions in

986-415: The industrial age can be described as the "Old Battlespace," characterized by clearly defined and discernible battlefield lines in the tangible domains of land, sea, and air. However, as economies and technologies have advanced, the methods by which countries and militaries compete and conduct warfare have also changed. In the information age, the tangible domains of land, sea, and air remain constant, but

1044-423: The 1820s, General Joseph Rogiat, of Napoleon Bonaparte 's Grande Armée , spoke at great length of the circumstances that make for a good battlefield. He divided the battlefield in two: one favorable for attack and one for defense, and argued that the greater the benefit of one over the other, the stronger a position was. He went on to say that easy movement of troops to the front, and distribution of forces across

1102-534: The Alps from World War I , which were often exposed, were only partially cleared and fatal accidents continue to happen because mountaineers and climbers collect ammunition. Battlefields can host memorials to the battles that took place there. These might commemorate the event itself or those who fell in the battle. This practice has a long history. It was common among the Ancient Greeks and Romans to raise

1160-597: The American Civil War, rail transport influenced where and how battles would be, could be, fought, as did telegraphic communication. This was a major factor in the execution of the German invasion of France in WW1: German forces could only travel as far from railheads as their ability to transport fodder allowed; the ambitious plan was doomed before it launched. Single battles, such as Cambrai , can depend on

1218-488: The European Middle Ages, formal pre-arrangement of a battlefield occasionally occurred. The Vikings had the concept of the "hazelled field", where an agreed site was marked out with hazel rods in advance of the battle. Formal arrangements by armies to meet one another on a certain day and date were a feature of Western Medieval warfare, often related to the conventions of siege warfare. This arrangement

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1276-500: The Welsh longbowmen or Mongol horse archers ) from ancient times well into the 1400s, while slightly later, it would be to riflemen .) Rogniat describes a "disadvantageous field of battle" as one: which is everywhere seen and commanded from heights within cannon and musket shot, and which is encumbered with marshes, rivers, ravines, and defiles of every kind. The enemy moves upon it with difficulty, even in column; he cannot deploy for

1334-437: The assailants a field of battle abounding with obstacles and defiles, but without offering at the same time, in the rear, favourable ground for the deployment of the defenders; these could then only act upon it with difficulty, and would be forced to fight the assailants in the defiles themselves, without any advantage. In general, the best positions are those, the flanks of which are inaccessible, and which command from their front

1392-507: The attack, or position forces on ground favorable to defense, if anticipating an attack. Although many battlefields arise in the course of military operations, there have been a number of occasions where formal conventions have ordained the nature and site of the battlefield. It has been suggested, on the basis of anthropological research, that ritual warfare involving battles on traditional "fighting grounds", bound by rules to minimise casualties, may have been common among early societies. In

1450-960: The battle in an entirely different location. For example, in 1895, members of the Gloucestershire Engineer Volunteers reenacted their famous stand at Rorke's Drift in Africa , 18 years earlier, with the reenactment occurring at the Cheltenham Winter Gardens in England . The first documented Korean War reenactment was held in North Vernon, Indiana , by members of the 20th Century Tactical Studies Group portraying Canadian and North Korean troops, on March 15, 1997. Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1508-498: The battlefield; it may transpire a few days after the battle, and it may even occur in the total absence of any pitched battle". The locations of ancient battles can be apocryphal. In England, this information has been more reliably recorded since the time of the Norman conquest. Battles are usually named after some feature of the battlefield geography , such as the name of a town, forest or river, commonly prefixed "Battle of...", but

1566-441: The contest, and is made to suffer under a shower of projectiles without being able to return evil for evil. This may be called an ideal defensive position, however. He then advises that troops should be situated so that the ground they defend is favorable, while the ground through which the enemy must advance is unfavorable: A position which combines these two kinds of fields of battle is doubly strong, both by its situation, and by

1624-432: The continuously evolving character of war due to changes in economies, technologies, and military strategies. "New Battlespace" poses complex challenges for strategists and policymakers. The internet, deep interdependencies, and hyper-connectivity present difficulties for armies that are structured around an industrial age mindset, particularly when it comes to defending one's homeland. Addressing these challenges requires

1682-543: The decision not to employ them has profound effects upon timely clearance of fires at the lowest possible level. The higher echelon may coordinate all clearance of fires short of the Coordinated Fire Line (CFL), a very time-intensive process. It allows the unit to maneuver successfully and to swiftly and efficiently engage targets. It requires coordination and clearance only within that organization. They affect fire support in two ways: Battlespace shaping

1740-544: The development of helicopters, airmobile forces developed. The increasing number of amphibious assaults , and their particular hazards and problems, led to the development of frogmen (and later SeALs ). These specialist forces opened up new fields of battle, and added new complexities to both attack and defense: when the battlefield ceased to be physically connected to the supply base, as at Arnhem, or in Burma, or in Vietnam,

1798-430: The domain of individual armed services. Intelligence preparation of the battlespace (IPB) is an analytical methodology employed to reduce uncertainties concerning the enemy, environment, and terrain for all types of operations. Intelligence preparation of the battlespace builds an extensive database for each potential area in which a unit may be required to operate. The database is then analyzed in detail to determine

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1856-436: The emergence and prominence of cyber operations, outer space activities, civil society engagement, and social media usage have elevated the significance of intangible realms in both kinetic and non-kinetic forms of warfare. This shift to a "New Battlespace" implies that traditional barriers, such as vast distances, oceans, and legal constraints, no longer present insurmountable obstacles. Consequently, emerging domains allow for

1914-503: The environment and to determine an opponent's capabilities to operate in each. JPIB products are used by the joint force and component command staffs in preparing their estimates and are also applied during the analysis and selection of friendly courses of action. Maneuver control measures are the basic preliminary step in effective clearance of fire support (e.g. artillery , naval gunfire support , and close air support ), marked by imaginary boundary lines used by commanders to designate

1972-477: The factors affecting the conduct of a battle and is conceptualised as the battlespace . The occurrence of a battle at a particular location may be entirely accidental, if an encounter between hostile forces occurs with neither side having expected the encounter. Typically, however, the location is chosen deliberately, either by agreement of the two sides or, more commonly, by the commander of one side, who attempts to either initiate an attack on terrain favorable to

2030-482: The freedom of maneuver; as a result, when compelled to fight for control of a city, such as Stalingrad or Ortona , weapons, tactics, and training are ill-suited for the environment. Urban combat is the one specialty that has not yet arisen. New technologies also affect where battles are fought. The adoption of chariots makes flat, open battlefields desirable, and larger fields than for infantry alone, as well as offering opportunities to engage an enemy sooner. During

2088-670: The front, was also important, since this allowed support and reinforcement as needed. He mentions the high ground as a means of observing the enemy, and concealing friendly forces; while this has been mitigated by aerial reconnaissance , improved communication ( field telephones radio ,and indirect fire , it remains important. (For instance, "hull down" firing positions for tanks were desired well into World War II .) Rogiat also discussed cover, in reference to exposure to cannon fire; in earlier times, it would have been to slingers (in Ancient Greek and Roman times) or archers (such as

2146-407: The geographical area for which a particular unit is tactically responsible. It is usually established on identifiable terrain to help aid in hasty referencing for better lateral advantage in the science of fire support, normally orchestrated by a higher echelon of the general staff , mainly the operations staff sections. They are normally designated along terrain features easily recognizable on

2204-486: The geography of the battlefield could not only dictate how a battle was fought, but with what weapons, and both reinforcement and logistics could be critical. At Arnhem, for instance, there were failures in both, while in Burma, aerial supply deliveries enabled the Chindits to do something that would otherwise have been impossible. Armies generally avoided fighting in cities, when possible, and modern armies dislike giving up

2262-551: The ground. An important point on maneuver control graphics: staffs must be knowledgeable regarding the different maneuver control measures and their impact on clearance of fires. For instance, boundaries are both restrictive and permissive; corridors are restrictive, while routes, axis, and directions of attack are neither. It should be reminded of the effect on clearance of fires if subordinate maneuver units are not given zones or sectors (i.e. no boundaries established). Since boundaries serve as both permissive and restrictive measures,

2320-417: The impact of the enemy, environment and terrain on operations and presents it in graphic form. Intelligence preparation of the battlespace is a continuing and crucial process to successful warfare. Joint intelligence preparation of the battlespace (JIPB) is the analytical process used by joint intelligence organizations to produce intelligence assessments, estimates and other intelligence products in support of

2378-434: The inception of new technology, such as (in this instance) tanks . The synergy between technologies can also affect where battles take place. The arrival of aerial reconnaissance has been credited with the development of trench warfare , while the combination of high explosives in ammunition and hydraulic recoil mechanisms in artillery, added to aircraft observation, made its subsequent spread necessary, and contributed to

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2436-422: The joint force commander's decision-making process. It is a continuous process that includes defining the total battlespace environment; describing the battlespace's effects; evaluating the adversary; and determining and describing adversary potential courses of action. The process is used to analyze the aerial , terrestrial , maritime/littoral , spatial , electromagnetic , cyberspace , and human dimensions of

2494-400: The maximum delineation of the historical site and provides more of the tactical context of a battle than does the core area. The core area of a battlefield is within the study area and includes only those places where the combat engagement and key associated actions and features were located; the core area includes, among other things, what often is described as "hallowed ground". A battlefield

2552-420: The name may poorly reflect the actual location of the event. Where documentary sources describe a battle, "whether such references are contemporary or reliable needs to be assessed with care". Locating battlefields is important in attempts to recreate the events of battles: The battlefield is a historical source demanding attention, interpretation and understanding like any written or other account. To understand

2610-430: The need to outperform the opposing forces by executing appropriate actions at the right time and location. However, battlespace agility is not solely focused on speed; it also underscores the importance of executing actions in the most efficient manner possible to achieve the desired impact on the system. Fundamental to this concept is the recognition that battlespace agility relies on the quality of situational awareness and

2668-414: The obstacles which cover it. But if it fulfils only one of these conditions, it ceases to be easy of defence. Suppose that a position, for instance, offers to the defenders a field of battle well situated, but admitting of easy access upon all points; the assailants, finding no obstacle to their deployment for the contest, will be able to force it in a tolerably short time. Suppose another position presents to

2726-458: The overall effectiveness of targeting efforts. Battlespace agility finds its origins within the broader field of Command & Control (C2) research, specifically the exploration of C2 agility by NATO. However, it specifically addresses agility within the domain of war-fighting, thus aligning with the principles of effects-based thinking, system of systems analysis, and the competing Observe Orient Decide Act ( OODA ) loops. Battlespace awareness (BA)

2784-421: The site of battles, where, in ancient times, the very idea of contesting a landing was unheard of. The Vietnamese preference for ambush against a more sophisticated opponent was a function of less access to sophisticated technology. As much as technology has changed, terrain still cannot be ignored, because it not only affects movement on the battlefield, but movement to and from it, and logistics are critical:

2842-561: The stalemate of WW1. The proliferation of tanks and aircraft changed the dynamics again in WW2. In both Burma in World War II, and in Vietnam, air supply played an important part in where battles took place. Some, such as Arnhem or the A Sầu , would not have happened at all, absent the development of aircraft and helicopters. So, too, has the introduction of landing craft ; combined with naval gunfire support, they have made beach landings

2900-510: The status of friendly and adversary forces, as well as neutrals and noncombatants, weather patterns, and the terrain. Battlespace digitization is designed to improve military operational effectiveness by integrating weapons platforms , sensor networks , ubiquitous command and control (UC2), intelligence , and network-centric warfare . This military doctrine reflects that in the future, military operations will be merged into joint operations rather than take place in separate battlespaces under

2958-512: The tactics used; in Vietnam, heavy jungle favored ambush. Historically, military forces have sometimes trained using methods suitable for a level battlefield, but not for the terrain in which they were likely to end up fighting. Mardonius illustrated the problem for the Ancient Greeks , whose phalanges were ill-suited for combat except on level ground without trees, watercourses, ditches, or other obstacles that might break up its files,

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3016-406: The test". Various acts and treaties restrict certain belligerent conduct to an identified battlefield. Other legal regimes promote the preservation of certain battlefields as sites of historic importance. Modern military theory and doctrine has, with technological advances in warfare , evolved the understanding of a battlefield from one defined by terrain to a more multifaceted perception of all of

3074-742: The town . In World War II, the Pripyat Marsh was an obstacle to vehicles, and the Red Army successfully employed cavalry there specifically because of that, while in North Africa, the Qattara Depression was used as an "anchor" for a defensive line. The belief that a location is impregnable will lead to it being chosen for a defensive position, but may produce complacency. During the Jewish Rebellion in 70 AD, Masada

3132-424: The use of force, taking of prisoners of war and the treatment afforded to them, and seizure of enemy property. With respect to the seizure of property, it has been noted that in ancient times it was understood that a prevailing enemy was free to take whatever was left on the battlefield by a fleeing enemy—weapons, armor, equipment, food, treasure—although, customarily, "capture of booty may take place some distance from

3190-463: The weaponization of nearly anything, turning the entire globe into a competitive arena for state and non-state actors. In this context, everyone becomes a participant in global contestation, whether willingly or not, as anything and everything can be utilized as a weapon. These changes do not indicate a fundamental alteration in the nature of war between the Old and New Battlespaces; rather, they underscore

3248-409: Was broken by fences which had to be climbed—while his division was constantly exposed to fire from the moment it left the trees. On modern battlefields, introducing obstacles to slow an advance has risen to an art form: everything from anti-tank ditches to barbed wire to dragon's teeth to improvised devices , have been employed, in addition to minefields . The nature of the battlefield influences

3306-421: Was known as a journée . Conventionally, the battlefield had to be considered a fair one, not greatly advantaging one side or the other. Arrangements could be very specific about where the battle should take place. For example, at the siege of Grancey in 1434, it was agreed that the armies would meet at "the place above Guiot Rigoigne's house on the right side towards Sentenorges, where there are two trees". In

3364-500: Was thought to be unassailable; determined Roman military engineering showed it was not. In World War I, Aqaba was considered safe. During World War II, Monte la Difensa was revealed to be vulnerable by the First Special Service Force . (All three instances would later be used in films.) Crossing obstacles remains a problem. Even a seemingly open field, such as that faced by George Pickett at Gettysburg ,

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