text: Army Aviation’s Role in Unified Land Operations
  1-53. The OE is a composite of the conditions, circumstances, and influences that affect the employment of
  capabilities and bear on the decisions of the commander (JP 3-0). The OE comprises many interrelated
  variables which include the physical domains as well as the information environment, the electromagnetic
  spectrum, and other more cognitive areas such as global or regional trends. The OE should be expected to
  be complex and dynamic, where aspects of it may be unknown and constantly changing. Additionally, the
  OE may be analyzed differently from the different levels of warfare. Some aspects of warfare continue to
  evolve based on missions, emerging technologies, or the enemy’s capabilities, objectives, or resolve.
  However, Army Aviation leaders should anticipate these changes alongside continuities such as the
  principles of war, the tenets of unified land operations, and Army Aviation’s core competencies.
  1-54. Commanders and staffs initially analyze an OE using the eight operational variables (see FM 6-0).
  Leaders employing Army Aviation forces must also understand the unique opportunities and constraints of
  aviation operations in the context of the threat and the multi-domain battlefield.
  THREAT
  1-55. A threat is any combination of actors, entities, or forces that have the capability and intent to harm
  United States forces, United States national interests or the homeland (ADP 3-0). Within the OE, Army
  Aviation can expect to encounter a wide range of threats. The intermixing of multiple threat elements,
  coupled with the operational and mission variables create a complex and dynamic OE. Threats seek to
  disrupt Army Aviation operations through terrain denial, air route interdiction, and intentional disruption of
  aviation AOs such as FARPs, LZs, PZs, tactical assembly areas, and airfields.
  1-56. Threats can include nation-states, national alliances, paramilitary or military forces, and/or
  individuals or groups of individuals. When threats execute their intent to do harm to the United States, they
  become enemies. The diversity of threats across the land, air, maritime, space, and cyberspace domains to
  United States security and vital interests increases the need for Army forces to be prepared to conduct
  operations short of conflict as well as succeed during LSCO when required.
  PEER THREATS
  1-57. Peer threats are competitors or enemies with capabilities to oppose United States forces across
  multiple domains world-wide or in a specific region where they enjoy a position of relative advantage.
  When preventing conflict with a peer threat fails, Army Aviation must be ready to penetrate enemy systems
  throughout the depth of the operational area to enable operational and tactical maneuver. This penetration
  and subsequent destruction, dislocation, disintegration, or isolation of enemy capabilities contributes
  toward the achievement of the joint force commander’s (JFC’s) strategic objectives.
  1-58. These adversaries typically employ their resources to attack friendly vulnerabilities using various
  combinations of the five broad methods described below. For more on these methods, see FM 3-0.
  * Information warfare. Information warfare is a term used to refer to the threat’s use of activities
  such as cyberspace operations, EW, deception, or psychological operations to manipulate the
  information environment. Peer threats attempt to manipulate or distort information to present
  false narratives and disrupt friendly decision making.
  * Preclusion. Peer threats take specific actions to preclude certain operations. Examples of
  preclusion include employing tactics and systems to prevent friendly entry into an operational
  area (anti-access) or to impede friendly freedom of action within an operational area (area
  denial).
  * Isolation. Peer threats may attempt to isolate friendly forces in various ways in order to prevent
  them from accomplishing the mission. Isolation may involve action in a physical domain, or it
  may involve space or cyberspace as well. This may be accomplished through denying mobility
  with obstacles or CBRNE weapons. It may also be accomplished through preventing or limiting
  the flow of information, or by conducting deception operations.
  * Sanctuary. Sanctuary refers to a method of putting threat forces beyond the reach of friendly
  attack, and is accomplished by some combination of political, legal, and physical boundaries that
  restrict friendly freedom of action. Peer threats may exploit air defense networks, complex