text: Army Sustainment Operations
  IMPERATIVES
  1-27. Imperatives are actions Army forces must take to defeat enemy forces and achieve objectives at
  acceptable cost. They are informed by the OE and the characteristics of the most capable threats Army forces
  can encounter. Imperatives include—
  • See yourself, see the enemy, and understand the OE.
  • Account for being under constant observation and all forms of enemy contact.
  • Create and exploit relative physical, information, and human advantages in pursuit of decision
  dominance.
  • Make initial contact with the smallest element possible.
  • Impose multiple dilemmas on the enemy.
  • Anticipate, plan, and execute transitions.
  • Designate, weight, and sustain the main effort.
  • Consolidate gains continuously.
  • Understand and manage the effects of operations on units and Soldiers.
  1-28. Sustainment leaders must be familiar with the tenets of operations and imperatives. They should
  consider how the tenets and imperatives impact their units and how they impact the units they support when
  planning and executing sustainment operations. Table 1-1 below lists the imperatives and provides select
  sustainment considerations intended to provoke thought for the elements of the sustainment warfighting
  function. For additional details on tenets of operations and imperatives, see FM 3-0.
  Table 1-1. Sustainment considerations for imperatives
  Imperatives Sustainment considerations
  See yourself, see the enemy, and • Analyze the operating environment and refine or update the
  understand the operational sustainment estimates.
  environment.
  • Describe the environmental impacts to operations.
  • Evaluate the threat and evaluate and plan for dispersed operations.
  • Analyze personnel running estimates against operational
  requirements.
  • Determine sustainment funding requirements against available
  budget.
  • Plan for central funding banking, finance and operations plans, and
  finance system support.
  • Determine personnel projections and casualty estimates.
  • Analyze health service support across the formation in theater.
  • Analyze potential theater evacuation and hospitalization.
  Account for being under constant • Modify combined obstacle overlay and deception plan.
  observation and all forms of enemy
  • Observe fields of fire, avenues of approach, key terrain, obstacles,
  contact.
  and cover and concealment.
  • Consider all forms of contact, including influence.
  • Understand terrain, weather, and line of sight analysis.
  • Monitor potential electromagnetic and cyber reconnaissance.
  • Limit personnel movements that can indicate imminent action or
  intent. Use multiple dispersed staging locations and smaller footprint
  to avoid detection.
  • Synchronize and integrate protection capabilities to reduce risks and
  mitigate vulnerabilities from detection, threat effects, and hazards.
  • Understand and participate in the development of the scheme of
  protection.
  • Practice operations and physical security.
  • Alternate logistics routes to avoid predictability.
  Create and exploit positions of • Maintain situational understanding of domains and dimension
  physical, information, and human interrelationships.
  advantage in pursuit of decision
  • Identify the enemy’s decision cycle.
  dominance.
  • Conduct collection management.
  • Continue to manage personnel tracking and reporting.