text: Chapter 3
  IMPERATIVES
  3-37. Imperatives are actions Army forces must take to defeat enemy forces and achieve objectives at
  acceptable cost. They are informed by the operational environment and the characteristics of the most capable
  threats Army forces can encounter. Imperatives include—
  (cid:122) See yourself, see the enemy, and understand the operational environment.
  (cid:122) Account for being under constant observation and all forms of enemy contact.
  (cid:122) Create and exploit relative physical, information, and human advantages in pursuit of decision
  dominance.
  (cid:122) Make initial contact with the smallest element possible.
  (cid:122) Impose multiple dilemmas on the enemy.
  (cid:122) Anticipate, plan, and execute transitions.
  (cid:122) Designate, weight, and sustain the main effort.
  (cid:122) Consolidate gains continuously.
  (cid:122) Understand and manage the effects of operations on units and Soldiers.
  SEE YOURSELF, SEE THE ENEMY, AND UNDERSTAND THE OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
  3-38. Commanders visualize operational environments in terms of the factors that are relevant to decision
  making. Operational environments are dynamic and contain vast amounts of information that can overload
  C2 systems and impede decision making. Commanders simplify information collection, analysis, and
  decision making by focusing on how they see themselves, see the enemy, and understand the operational
  environment. These three categories of factors are interrelated, and leaders must understand how each one
  relates to the others in the current context.
  3-39. As part of the operations process, Army leaders use different methodologies to understand and weigh
  options. These methodologies include the Army design methodology, the military decision-making process,
  and the rapid decision-making and synchronization process. Each methodology provides a process that allows
  commanders and staffs to see themselves, see the enemy, and understand the operational environment. (See
  ADP 5-0 and FM 5-0 for more information on Army planning methodologies.)
  See Yourself
  3-40. Commanders develop an understanding of their forces relative to mission requirements, enemy
  capabilities, and impacts from the operational environment. This understanding helps to inform current and
  potential future advantages relative to enemy forces, allowing staffs to develop and adapt courses of action
  that exploit advantages and mitigate disadvantages. Commanders and staffs maintain this understanding of
  their forces through running estimates, subordinate commander updates, and friendly forces information
  requirements (known as FFIRs): A friendly force information requirement is information the commander and
  staff need to understand the status of friendly force and supporting capabilities (JP 3-0). Friendly force
  information requirements identify the information the commander considers most important to make critical
  decisions during the execution of operations. The operations officer manages friendly force information
  requirements for the commander.
  3-41. Leaders attempt to see themselves from the enemy perspective, in part by understanding essential
  elements of friendly information. An essential element of friendly information is a critical aspect of a friendly
  operation that, if known by a threat would subsequently compromise, lead to failure, or limit success of the
  operation and therefore should be protected from enemy detection (ADP 6-0).
  3-42. Leaders see their formation in relation to their mission and in the broader context of the higher
  command, adjacent unit, and all domains. Part of “seeing yourself” is understanding how land-based
  operations enable operations in the other domains, and how capabilities from all domains can enable
  operations on land. (See paragraphs 2-66 through 2-67 for a discussion of joint interdependence.)