text: Chapter 1
  SECTION III – THE OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
  1-29. An operational environment is the aggregate of the conditions, circumstances, and influences that affect
  the employment of capabilities and bear on the decisions of the commander (JP 3-0). For Army forces, an
  OE includes portions of the land, maritime, air, space, and cyberspace domains understood through three
  dimensions (human, physical, and information). The land, maritime, air, and space domains are defined by
  their physical characteristics. The cyberspace domain is a manmade network of networks that transits and
  connects the other domains. The cyberspace domain includes the internet, telecommunications networks,
  computer systems, embedded processors and controllers, and portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. For
  additional information on cyberspace, see FM 3-12. Sustainment operations are conducted through the land,
  air, and maritime domains, enabled by capabilities in the space and cyberspace domains, and cross each
  dimension. For additional information, see FM 3-0 and FM 2-0.
  1-30. Analyzing operational and mission variables allows commanders and staffs to refine their situational
  understanding of the OE. Commanders and staffs analyze and describe an OE in terms of eight interrelated
  operational variables: political, military, economic, social, information, infrastructure, physical environment,
  and time. These variables help leaders understand the land domain and its interrelationships with relevant
  actors and capabilities in the other domains, as well as the information environment. Commanders analyze
  information categorized by the operational variables in the context of the missions they are assigned. They
  use mission variables, in combination with the operational variables, to refine their understanding of the
  situation and to visualize, describe, and direct operations. The mission variables are mission, enemy, terrain
  and weather, troops and support available, time available, and civil considerations, each of which have
  informational considerations. See FM 5-0 for additional information on operational and mission variables.
  1-31. Understanding the specific OE in each situation is essential to the successful execution of deployment
  and sustainment operations conducted in support of CCDR objectives. Sustainers mitigate risks identified
  during OE analysis by conducting sustainment preparation of the OE. Geospatial engineering capabilities
  assist sustainers with coordination, integration, and synchronization of resources through a shared
  understanding and visualization of the OE. They analyze and identify lines of communications (LOCs) in
  support of force projection, identify terrain suitability for intermediate staging and forward operating base
  emplacement, emphasize restrictive terrain to assist planners with aerial and ground delivery considerations,
  and identify natural resources and infrastructure. For additional information on sustainment preparation of
  the OE, see Chapter 3 and ATP 4-93.
  1-32. Units sustaining large-scale combat operations are affected by a range of factors in the OE. Sustainers
  must be prepared to support operations in a variety of vastly different OEs. Listed below are examples of
  specific OE factors that may impact sustainment operations:
  • Contiguous and noncontiguous areas of operations where ill-defined or fluid boundaries impact task
  organizations, identification of supported units, command and support relationships, distribution
  plans, and execution.
  • Simultaneous, geographically dispersed operations that may result in long LOCs and stress
  sustainment headquarters communications, command and support relationships, distribution plans,
  and execution.
  • Joint, single-Service, and multinational force interactions with intergovernmental organizations,
  nongovernmental organizations, and contractors require more liaisons to and from sustainment
  headquarters and units, and longer planning time to ensure all organizations understand the plan.
  For more information on multinational, intergovernmental organization, and nongovernmental
  organization support, see ADP 4-0.
  • Limited availability of, or high competition for, host-nation support (HNS), infrastructure,
  commercial services, commodities, and facilities to support setting the theater, rapid deployment
  and onward movement of combat forces, and sustainment of the joint security area during military
  operations.
  CONTESTED LOGISTICS ENVIRONMENT
  1-33. A contested logistics environment is an environment in which the armed forces engage in conflict with
  an adversary that presents challenges in all domains and directly targets logistics operations, facilities, and