Offensive Operations Environment

Understanding is the most important essential component of the operational construct for planning brigade offensive operations. The commander’s ability to rapidly and accurately achieve an understanding of the urban environment contributes to seizing, retaining, and exploiting the initiative during UO. Commanders need to visualize and understand the operational environment in order to successfully conduct offensive operations. Shaping is the most important component of the operational construct for brigade defense operations. Shaping operations set the conditions for decisive operations at the tactical level in the urban area. Defender shape the environment by never allowing the enemy by spoiling attacks before the enemy can focus on