text: Chapter 1
  command and control element coordinates with the corps staff to deconflict targets and operations. It provides
  near real time locations of special operations units and provides overlays and other data to the fire support
  element and the battlefield coordination detachment.
  1-112. To integrate fully with conventional and joint operations, Army special operations units must
  maintain effective liaison and coordination elements with all components of the force to synchronize effects
  created in the joint operational area. To support this effort, joint forces, conventional forces, and special
  operations units exchange a variety of liaison and coordination elements in addition to the special operations
  command and control element provided by the higher echelon special operations commander. These liaison
  and coordination elements range in size from individual liaisons to small coordination elements. Whatever
  their size or location, these elements coordinate and synchronize missions in other units’ areas of operations.
  1-113. In addition to the exchange of liaisons, the theater army, corps, and division headquarters include
  civil affairs and psychological operations personnel in the assistant chief of staff, operations (G-3) and chief
  of staff, civil affairs operations (known as G-9) sections. Additionally, corps and division headquarters have
  a limited number of special forces personnel in the G-3 section. Field army headquarters can expect to receive
  the same personnel when they are established. Their respective commanders can leverage these personnel to
  improve integration, interoperability, and interdependence.
  OPERATIONAL AREAS
  1-114. This manual refers throughout to a hierarchy of operational areas. An operational area is an
  overarching term encompassing more descriptive terms (such as area of responsibility and joint operations
  area) for geographic areas in which military operations are conducted (JP 3-0). Operational areas have
  physical dimensions composed of some combination of air, land, maritime, and space domains. The size of
  operational areas and the type of forces employed in them vary depending on the mission.
  1-115. GCCs conduct operations with their assigned AOR from the unified campaign plan. An area of
  responsibility is the geographical area associated with a combatant command within which a geographic
  combatant commander has authority to plan and conduct operations (JP 1). In an AOR, the combatant
  commander exercises COCOM over assigned forces. All U.S. forces in an AOR (assigned, attached, OPCON,
  or in transit through the region) fall under the control of that GCC for as long as they remain in the AOR.
  The theater army commander exercises OPCON and ADCON for all Army forces in an AOR, except for
  Army forces in transit.
  Note. Joint doctrine lists three additional operational areas: the theater of war, the theater of
  operations, and amphibious operations areas. These operational areas are not used often; therefore,
  they are not included in this chapter. (See JP 3-0 for a more detailed description of these areas.)
  JOINT OPERATIONS AREAS AND AREAS OF OPERATIONS
  1-116. When combatant commanders establish subordinate joint commands, normally JTFs, they assign
  them a joint operations area that encompasses the three dimensional volume of sea, land, and air in which the
  JTF will operate. A joint operations area is an area of land, sea, and airspace, defined by a geographic
  combatant commander or subordinate unified commander, in which a joint force commander (normally a
  JTF commander) conducts military operations to accomplish a specific mission (JP 3-0). The JFC may
  specify an area for special operations forces, designated as a joint special operations area. A joint special
  operations area is an area of land, sea, and airspace assigned by a joint force commander to the commander
  of a joint special operations force to conduct special operations activities (JP 3-0).
  1-117. An area of operations is an operational area defined by a commander for land and maritime forces
  that should be large enough to accomplish their missions and protect their forces (JP 3-0). An AO assigned
  to the joint force land component does not typically encompass the entire operational area of the JFC. The
  JFLCC establishes an operational framework for the AO that assigns responsibilities to subordinate land
  commanders and maximizes the operational capabilities of all subordinate areas. This operational framework
  typically includes subordinate AOs in which their subordinate forces operate. (See figure 1-8.)