text: The Army Engineer
  sustainment warfighting functions. These same capabilities may be employed at division, corps, and theater
  army echelons to primarily enable force mobility, survivability, and sustainment. Force-tailored engineering
  capabilities from the force pool can provide critical nonlethal capabilities to conduct or support stability and
  DSCA operations. Geospatial engineering capabilities, organic and from the force pool, provide support by
  adding to a clear understanding of the physical environment.
  During combat operations, engineer units normally have command and support relationships aligned
  to maneuver commanders. (See ADP 6-0 for additional information.) Engineer commanders advise the
  maneuver commanders on which appropriate command or support relationship best enables the execution of
  the mission while limiting the burden on the supported or supporting headquarters. Although the forms of
  offensive maneuver have different intentions, the planning phase must always begin with predicting enemy
  intent through a thorough understanding of the threat, engineer capabilities, and the effect of terrain on
  operations. Geospatial products and information become the foundation and common reference for planning.
  Of all forms of maneuver, the knowledge of enemy disposition is especially critical and required for an
  infiltration or penetration due to the requirements for stealth and surprise. Engineer planning tends to focus
  on mobility support, including a robust reconnaissance effort. (See ATP 3-34.81 for a full discussion of
  engineer reconnaissance.) A greater degree of planning is required for a penetration from the breach to the
  ultimate control of the objective.
  Engineering capabilities are a significant force multiplier in unified land operations, facilitating the
  freedom of action necessary to meet mission objectives. Decisive action requires simultaneous combinations
  of offensive, defensive, stability, and DSCA operations. Higher-echelon engineer activities are intrinsically
  simultaneous—supporting combinations of operational components, occurring at every echelon, influencing
  each level of war, and influencing the entire range of military operations. Engineer activities modify,
  maintain, provide an understanding of, and protect the physical environment. In doing so, they enable the
  mobility of friendly forces and alter the mobility of a threat. This enhances survivability; enables the
  sustainment of friendly forces; contributes to a clear understanding of the physical environment; and provides
  support to noncombatants, other nations, and civilian authorities and agencies. Indeed, engineer activities
  may be so widespread and inclusive that they may be viewed as a stand-alone objective, but they are not
  stand-alone. Engineer applications are effective within the context of the supported objective. Military
  engineer support is focused on the combined arms objective. To identify and maintain that focus for the
  widespread application of engineering capabilities, engineer support is integrated within the combined arms
  operation.
  THE INTEGRATION OF CAPABILITIES
  Decisive action follows a cycle of planning, preparation, execution, and continuous assessment. The
  operations process is the context within which engineer capabilities integrate into combined arms maneuver.
  See chapter 5 for more discussions on enabler integration and command and support relationships.