text: Chapter 1
  an enemy, friendly forces are able to maneuver—out of enemy contact—to a position to best destroy the
  enemy force. Ideally, when friendly forces engage enemy forces, they use as many different forms of contact
  as possible to create a dilemma for the enemy and allow the friendly force to accomplish its mission.
  1-64. Leaders always account for how to defend or mitigate against the enemy using these forms of contact.
  They also make plans on how to use these forms of contact against the enemy. Not every unit or echelon will
  have all of these capabilities, but they will use as many as they have.
  1-65. The nine forms of contact are—
  * Direct. Interactions from ground-based, line of sight weapons systems (including small arms, tank
  main guns, and anti-tank missiles).
  * Indirect. Interactions from non-line of sight weapons systems (including cannon artillery,
  mortars, and rockets).
  * Non-hostile. Neutral interactions that may degrade military operations (including civilians on the
  battlefield, nongovernmental organizations, or neutral forces).
  * Obstacle. Interactions from natural and manmade obstacles (including rivers and minefields).
  * Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN). Interactions from friendly, enemy,
  and civilian CBRN effects (including chemical attacks, nuclear attacks, industrial accidents, and
  toxic or hazardous).
  * Aerial. Interactions from air-based combat platforms (including attack helicopters, armed UAS,
  and fixed-wing aircraft).
  * Visual. Interaction from acquisition via the human eye, optical, or electro-optical systems
  (including ground reconnaissance, telescopic, thermal, and infrared sights on weapons and sensor
  platforms such as UAS and satellites).
  * Electromagnetic. Interactions via systems used to acquire, degrade, or destroy using select
  portions of the electromagnetic spectrum (including radar systems, jamming, cyberspace, and
  electromagnetic pulse).
  * Influence. Interactions through the information dimension intended to shape the perceptions,
  behaviors, and decision making of people relative to a policy or military objective (including
  through social media, telecommunications, human interaction, and other forms of communication
  and contact).
  1-66. Visual contact allows a force to gain understanding of another other force with or without the other
  force’s knowledge. With direct, indirect, and aerial forms of contact, visual contact is assumed. For CBRN,
  obstacle, non-hostile, electromagnetic, and influence contact, visual contact is not assumed and must be
  confirmed to clearly describe what is happening. For example, an animal could trigger an electronic ground
  sensor and a unit must confirm with visual contact whether the ground sensor was activated by enemy forces
  or by an animal.
  1-67. When friendly forces are directed to “gain and maintain contact,” units decide which form or forms of
  contact is best to use for the situation. Ultimately, they are required to understand where the enemy force is
  and what it is trying to do all while minimizing the forms of contact the enemy has on friendly forces.
  1-68. Friendly forces should expect that the enemy always has them under some form of visual,
  electromagnetic, and influence contact. The proliferation of communication capabilities results in an
  increasing ability of friendly, neutral, and adversarial actors to influence one another. The increasing use of
  social media on the battlefield by various actors will drive perceptions of all actors. This should not cause
  inaction by leaders, but rather encourage disciplined actions that will help to mitigate enemy contact.
  Activities to mitigate this include, but are not limited to, masking, deception, electromagnetic spectrum
  discipline, and camouflage.
  Actions on Contact
  1-69. Actions on contact is a process to help leaders understand what is happening and to take action.
  Actions on contact is not intended to generate a rigid, lockstep response to the enemy. Rather, the goal is to
  provide an orderly framework that enables leaders to apply sound decision making and timely actions to
  complete the operation.