fm 44-100 us army air and missile defense operations

PROCESS
Appendix A
Air Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield
This appendix describes the IPB process as it applies to AD operations.
The breakup of the former Soviet Union has caused the Army to shift its
focus from the Soviet threat to regional threats. With the current lack of a
single well-defined threat to plan against, the IPB process will provide
continuous input toward defining that threat. Developing templates will
be more challenging and more critical in support of the IPB process.
A-1. FM 34-130 explains the IPB process in detail. The commander uses IPB
to understand the battlefield and the options it presents to friendly and
enemy forces. IPB is a systematic, continuous process of analyzing the threat
and environment in a specific area. By applying the IPB process, the
commander gains the information necessary to selectively apply and
maximize his combat power at critical points in time and space on the
battlefield. Airspace, or the aerial dimension, is the most dynamic and fast
paced of the three dimensions. The intelligence staff must consider all the
aspects of air operations and must be aware of the capabilities of all air
threats, to include UAVs, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, ASMs, and
rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. The G2 and S2 have overall staff
responsibility for IPB. ADA and aviation officers must provide input to the
G2 and S2 when integrating air aspects into the IPB process.
A-2. The IPB process has four steps:
• Define the battlefield environment.
• Describe the battlefield effects.
• Evaluate the threat.
• Determine threat courses of action.
A-3. Since terrain, weather, and other characteristics of the battlefield have
different effects on air operations and AMD operations, aerial IPB differs
from ground IPB. Threat forces must be evaluated in relation to the effects
that weather, terrain, and friendly operations will have on them. The most
significant threats that must be evaluated for aerial IPB are UAVs, ballistic
missiles, cruise missiles, and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Aerial IPB is an
integral part of the IPB process at all levels.
DEFINE THE BATTLEFIELD ENVIRONMENT
A-4. The battlefield includes aerial dimensions in an area of operations,
battlespace, and an area of interest. Because of the aerial dimension, each of
these parts of the battlefield framework may be different from that of ground
force operations.
A-1