Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield - Federation of American ...

FM 34-130
UNRESTRICTED indicates terrain free of any restriction to movement. Nothing needs
to be done to enhance mobility. UNRESTRICTED terrain for armored or mechanized
forces is typically flat to moderately sloping terrain with scattered or widely spaced
obstacles such as trees or rocks. UNRESTRICTED terrain allows wide maneuver by
the forces under consideration and unlimited travel supported by well developed road
networks.
RESTRICTED terrain hinders movement to some degree. Little effort is needed to
enhance mobility but units may have difficulty maintaining preferred speeds, moving in
combat formations, or transitioning from one formation to another. RESTRICTED
terrain slows movement by requiring zig-zagging or frequent detours. RESTRICTED
terrain for armored or mechanized forces typically consists of moderate to steep slopes
or moderate to densely spaced obstacles such as trees, rocks, or buildings. Swamps or
rugged terrain are examples of RESTRICTED terrain for dismounted infantry forces.
Logistical or rear area movement may be supported by poorly developed road systems.
A common and useful technique is to depict RESTRICTED terrain on overlays and
sketches by marking the areas with diagonal lines.
SEVERELY RESTRICTED terrain severely hinders or slows movement in combat
formations unless some effort is made to enhance mobility. This could take the form of
committing engineer assets to improving mobility or of deviating from doctrinal tactics,
such as moving in columns instead of line formations or at speeds much lower than
those preferred. SEVERELY RESTRICTED terrain for armored and mechanized
forces is typically characterized by steep slopes and large or densely spaced obstacles
with little or no supporting roads. A common technique is to depict this type of
SEVERELY RESTRICTED terrain on overlays and sketches by marking the areas with
cross-hatched diagonal lines.
Other types of SEVERELY RESTRICTED terrain include, for example, minefield,
unfordable rivers that exceed vehicle-launched bridge length, and road or railroad
embankments. Depict these types of SEVERELY RESTRICTED terrain using the
symbology contained in FM 101-5-1. If standard symbology does not exist, such as in
the case of unfoldable rivers, depict them using wide solid lines, ad hoc symbology, or
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