Battlespace Battlespace is a term used to signify a unified military strategy to integrate and combine armed forces for the military theatre of operations , including air , information , land , sea , and space to achieve military goals . It includes the environment , factors , and conditions that must be understood to successfully apply combat power , protect the force , or complete the mission . This includes enemy and friendly armed forces , infrastructure , weather , terrain , and the electromagnetic spectrum within the operational areas and areas of interest . Concept . Battlespace awareness . Battlespace awareness ( BA ) is a practice of military philosophy that is used as a valuable asset by joint component and force commanders , to predict courses of action before employing troops into a prescribed area of operation ( AO ) . It utilizes the intelligence preparation asset to assist the commander in being ' aware ' of recent , current , and near term events in his battlespace . It is based around its knowledge and understanding obtained by the an 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 , a military force , and / or completing its mission . Battlespace digitization . Battlespace digitization is designed to improve military operation al effectiveness by integrating weapons platform s , sensor network s , 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 the domain of individual armed services . Battlespace intelligence preparation . Intelligence preparation . 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 the impact of the enemy , environment and terrain on operations and presents it in graphic form . Intelligence preparation of the battlespace is a continuing process . Joint intelligence preparation . 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 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 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 . Battlespace measures . Manoeuvre control . Manoeuvre control measures are the basic preliminary step in effective clearance of fire support ( e . g . artillery , Naval gunfire , and close air support ) , marked by imaginary boundary lines used by commanders to designate 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 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 , 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 . Battlespace shaping 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 .