text: The Brigade Combat Team and the Operational Environment
  Note. The BCT does not conduct operationally significant consolidate gains activities unless
  tasked to do so,usually within a division consolidation area.
  Area of Operations
  2-104. Anarea of operationsis 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). In operations,the
  commander uses control measures—a means of regulating forces or warfighting functions (ADP 6-0)—to
  assign responsibilities,coordinate maneuver,and control combat operations. Within the area of operations,
  the commander integrates and synchronizes combat power across multiple domains. To facilitate this
  integration and synchronization,the commander designates targeting priorities,effects,and timing within the
  assigned area of operations. The loss or severe degradation of combat power within the BCT’s area of
  operations by enemy attacks in anydomain (see chapter 4) can prevent the successful execution of missions.
  Responsibilities within an assigned area of operations include—
  (cid:122) Terrain management.
  (cid:122) Information collection, integration, and synchronization.
  (cid:122) Civil-military operations.
  (cid:122) Movement control.
  (cid:122) Clearance of fires.
  (cid:122) Security.
  (cid:122) Personnel recovery.
  (cid:122) Airspace managementof assigned airspaceusers.
  (cid:122) Minimum-essential stability operations tasks.
  2-105. The commander considers the BCT’s area of influence when assigning an area of operations to
  subordinate commanders. An area of influence is a geographical area wherein a commander is directly
  capable of influencing operations by maneuver or fire support systems normally under the commander’s
  command or control (JP 3-0). Understanding the area of influence helps the commander and staff plan
  branches to the current operation in which the force uses capabilities outside the area of operations. An area
  of operations should not be substantially larger than the unit’s area of influence. Ideally,the area of influence
  would encompass the entire area of operations. An area of operations that is too large for a unit to control
  can allow sanctuaries for enemy forces and may limit joint flexibility.
  2-106. Anarea of interestis that area of concern to the commander,including the area of influence,areas
  adjacent thereto,and extending into enemy territory (JP 3-0). This area also includes areas occupied by enemy
  forces who could jeopardize the accomplishment of the mission. An area of interest for stability operations
  tasks (see chapter 8) may be much larger than that area associated with the offense anddefense (see chapters
  6 and 7, respectively). The area of interest always encompasses aspects of the air, cyberspace, and space
  domains since capabilities residing in all three enable and affectsoperations on land.
  2-107. Areas of operations may be contiguous or noncontiguous. When they are contiguous, a boundary
  separates them. When areas of operations are noncontiguous,subordinate commands do not share a boundary.
  The higher headquarters retains responsibility for the area not assigned to subordinate units. (SeeADP3-0
  for additional information.)
  2-108. Commanders and staff are responsible to coordinate and integrate the actions of Army airspace users
  over an area of operations regardless of whether they have been assigned airspace control responsibility for
  a volume of airspace (see FM 3-52 and ATP 3-52.2). Commanders exercise airspace management through
  control of airspace users,which is inherent in mission command to control assigned or supporting forces in
  all domains.