text: Chapter 1
  The Army Engineer
  The Army engineer is a military engineering profession within the Army profession
  that represents the Army engineering capabilities. The Army engineers are composed
  of people—not just of equipment, organizations, or technologies—who possess unique
  technical skills that are grouped together into three engineer disciplines: combat,
  general, and geospatial engineering. It consists of Regular Army, Army National
  Guard, and United States Army Reserve engineer organizations; USACE; Department
  of Defense (DOD) Civilians; and affiliated contractors and agencies in the civilian
  community. It has a diverse range of capabilities that is focused on providing the
  required engineer expertise and skills needed to support the combined arms team.
  ENGINEER DISCIPLINES
  The engineer disciplines are areas of expertise within engineer units and headquarters. Each discipline
  is focused on capabilities that support, or are supported by, the other disciplines. Within these disciplines are
  personnel and equipment that provide unique technical knowledge, services, and capabilities that make
  engineers a valued member of the Army profession.
  Army engineers are ground forces who conduct operations on, in, above, or below the terrain in the
  land domain. The ground forces are affected by the terrain, and they often have an effect on it. Engineer
  operations are unique because, regardless of the intended purpose, they are directly aimed at affecting terrain
  or at improving the understanding of the terrain. In this context, terrain includes natural and man-made terrain
  features. As a result, terrain is central to the three engineer disciplines. Combat and general engineering are
  focused on affecting the terrain, while geospatial engineering is focused on improving the understanding of
  the terrain.
  Regardless of the disciplines, engineers must be prepared to conduct missions in close combat. Combat
  engineering is the only discipline that is trained and equipped to support movement and maneuver while in
  close combat. The general and geospatial engineering disciplines are not organized to maneuver within
  combined arms formations or to apply fire and maneuver. The general and geospatial engineering disciplines
  have small arms and a limited number of crew-served weapons that are capable of engaging in close combat
  with fire and movement, primarily in a self-defense role.
  COMBAT ENGINEERING
  Combat engineering is the engineering capabilities and activities that directly support the maneuver of
  land combat forces that require close and integrated support (JP 3-34). This engineer discipline focuses on
  affecting terrain while in close support to maneuver. Combat engineering is integral to the ability of combined
  arms units to maneuver. Combat engineers enhance force mobility by shaping the physical environment to
  make the most efficient use of the space and time necessary to generate mass and speed while denying the
  enemy mobility. By enhancing the supported unit ability to maneuver, combat engineers accelerate the
  concentration of combat power, increasing the ability of the force to exploit critical enemy vulnerabilities.
  By reinforcing the natural restrictions of the physical environment, combat engineers limit the enemy ability
  to generate tempo and mass forces. These limitations increase enemy reaction time and degrade their will to
  fight.