text: Maritime Considerations During Multinational Operations
  Partners share and use trusted COPs to help mitigate the potential for fratricide. Current operations and plans
  personnel also consider differences in the way various naval forces use symbology and graphics in a maritime
  environment. Units should consider a liaison officer exchange, when possible, to deconflict operational
  differences. Embedded liaison officers can provide mission analysis and identify critical coordination points
  and times to mitigate potential risks.
  9-16. An Army formation that has interoperable multinational partners in a maritime environment is
  substantially more capable than one that lacks partners. Effective interoperability includes understanding
  technical challenges across joint components, developing methods to bridge gaps, and understanding the
  maritime capabilities of each member in the multinational force.
  AREA OF OPERATIONS
  9-17. An AO is the operational area defined by a commander for land and maritime forces. This area needs
  to be large enough to both accomplish the mission and provide flexibility regarding COAs. The designation
  of subordinate AOs in a maritime environment enables freedom of action, maintains tempo, and maximizes
  available combat power. Larger island landmasses may allow multinational forces to operate with a
  contiguous AO, with the unit boundaries directly adjacent to each other. Smaller archipelagic island chains
  may require a noncontiguous AO and may even leave some islands in a designated AO completely
  unoccupied by friendly forces depending on the operational requirements and threat.
  9-18. Ideally, the AO is equal to or less than the area of influence. Commanders balance the available
  multinational forces against the capabilities of the total multinational force. The commander and staff
  estimate the area of influence. The estimate accounts for using capabilities—and their resulting effects—in
  air and maritime domains. The size difference between an AO and area of influence requires balancing
  available forces with the size of the AO. If an AO is too large, the assigned multinational force may not
  accomplish its mission due to a lack of resources. If an AO is too large for a unit to effectively control, then
  the situation increases risk, allows sanctuaries for enemy forces, and limits joint force flexibility. If the AO
  is too small, the assigned multinational force may fail to use subordinate forces to their full capabilities.
  OPERATIONAL APPROACH FOR A MARITIME ENVIRONMENT
  9-19. When developing the operational approach for a maritime environment, naval and air components often
  become the key enablers for the multinational commander. The multinational force develops a nested
  operation plan that accounts for the overall multinational commander’s strategic priorities. This nested
  approach accounts for all domains of the operation across a competition continuum.
  9-20. C2 in a maritime environment may have significant challenges. Given the size of an AO for most
  maritime dominant environments and the distance between land masses, there may be multiple active
  assigned AOs, each with separate headquarters. Synchronization and communication between units is critical
  when conducting operations in a maritime environment. Commanders and staff access each mission partner’s
  capability to obtain and maintain C2 to facilitate mission success.
  9-21. Operations planners consider the multinational force’s capability to defeat enemy antiaccess and area
  denial to enable offensive operations. Operations in a maritime environment are likely to be contested
  throughout armed conflict. The multinational force may be required to seize key terrain for emplacing air and
  missile defense systems to defeat the enemy antiaccess and area denial. This enables offensive operations,
  which are likely to be conducted in two complex forms of forcible entry operations: vertical envelopment
  and amphibious landing. Forcible entry operations seize and hold lodgments against armed opposition into a
  denied area to allow movement and maneuver to accomplish the mission. (Refer to FM 5-0 for more on
  planning.)
  9-22. Commanders and staffs should also consider the possible challenges of sustaining a multinational force
  in a maritime environment. Sustainment in a maritime dominant environment requires collaboration. The
  multinational force provides theater and port opening functions to maintain strategic and operational
  capabilities. The extended distances in most maritime dominant AOs may require bringing pre-positioned
  stocks of all classes of supply ashore. This may require detailed planning as part of the movement plan.
  Floating stocks may be discharged in support of armed conflict and require detailed early planning. The life
  support demands and maintenance footprint may quickly exceed the capabilities of a small island port.