text: Chapter 4
  Table 4-1. Engineer considerations in the offense (continued)
  Offensive
  Engineer Consideration
  Operations
  Attacks • The employment of engineer reconnaissance as part of the information
  collection effort helps generate obstacle information that provides the
  necessary detailed COP of the enemy situation. If breaching is anticipated,
  the breach organization is established based on detailed reverse breach
  planning. Combined arms rehearsals are critical to the success of
  combined arms breaching.
  • Engineer priority of effort is on mobility with priority of support to the main
  effort.
  • Countermobility is provided through the employment of situational
  obstacles. It is initially intended to support the isolation and fixing of enemy
  forces and to protect friendly flanks.
  • Upon seizure of the objective, and depending on the follow-on mission,
  engineers are prepared to conduct countermobility and survivability in
  support of a defense, while mobility focuses on clearing obstacles or
  improving lanes to support friendly mobility.
  Exploitation • Engineers support an exploitation by breaching obstacles to facilitate the
  maneuver of ground forces, keeping movement routes open, and
  emplacing situational obstacles to protect the flanks.
  Pursuits • Direct-pressure and encircling forces require engineers to be forward in
  maneuver unit formations to quickly breach obstacles that cannot be
  bypassed to ensure unimpeded mobility. Engineers also conduct
  countermobility and survivability tasks in support of the encircling force.
  Legend:
  COP common operational picture
  The types of offensive operations and the forms of maneuver describe relationships between friendly
  forces and the enemy. Planning must always begin with understanding the commander’s desired endstate.
  Analyzing and understanding the threat, threat engineer capabilities, and how the terrain affects friendly
  action are the best methods of determining the enemy’s intent. FM 6-0 provides a common foundation and
  reference for planning. Engineer planning tends to focus on mobility support and likely includes a robust
  engineer reconnaissance effort. Because engineer units tend to have habitual command and support
  relationships with maneuver commanders conducting the offensive, parallel planning between division and
  subordinate echelons is vital in allowing engineer units to position essential assets, establish early linkups,
  and task-organize into their supported units. A significantly greater degree of planning centralized at the
  division echelon is required when resources from the division are needed to control the maneuvering of
  brigade forces, such as a river crossing.
  Mobility is a quality or capability of military forces which permits them to move from place to place
  while retaining the ability to fulfill their primary mission (JP 3-17). Mobility tasks are those combined arms
  activities that mitigate the effects of obstacles to enable freedom of movement and maneuver. Freedom of
  mobility is the key to successful military operations.
  Engineers shape the terrain. Terrain shaping begins with a thorough visualization of both the enemy
  and friendly perspectives of the terrain. Reconnaissance answers information gaps in the understanding of
  terrain. Engineers conduct reconnaissance as far in advance of the initial maneuver formation as possible.
  The following vignette provides an example of when properly conducted reconnaissance assisted the ground
  commander.