text: Defense
  Note.The BCT commander and staff,during step 4 of the IPB process (determine threat COAs),
  identify and develop possible enemy COAs that can affect the BCT’s mission. (See chapter 4.)
  Enemy COA development requires identifying and understanding the significant characteristics
  related to enemy, terrain, weather, and civil considerations of the operational environment and
  how these characteristics affect friendly and enemy operations. Steps 1 and 2 of the IPB process
  are, respectively, define the operations environment and describe environmental effects on
  operations. The purpose of evaluating the enemy,step 3 of the IPB process (evaluate the threat),
  is to understand how an enemy can affect friendly operations. The commander, in order to plan
  for all possible contingencies,understands all COAsan enemy commander can use to accomplish
  the enemy objective(s). To aid in this understanding,the staff determines all valid enemy COAs
  and prioritizes them from most to least likely. The staff also determines which enemy COAis the
  most dangerous to friendly forces. To be valid, enemy COAs should be feasible, acceptable,
  suitable, distinguishable, and complete-the same criteria used to validate friendly COAs. (See
  ATP2-01.3 for a detailed discussion.)
  7-142. Step 2. Identify most likely enemy COA. The commander and staff (specifically the S-2 and S-3)
  determine the enemy’s most likely COA, within the scenario, is to attack with two battalions (motorized
  Infantry battalion task forces) abreast,one along Avenue of Approach 1 and one along Avenue of Approach
  2 (seefigure 7-13onpage 7-38). The enemy’s approach,compartmentalized forward of the Green and Red
  Rivers, restricts movement and prevents the attacking enemy force from fully exploiting its combat
  superiority. The terrain forward of the Green and Red Rivers allows for the massing of friendly fires with the
  enemy piecemeal commitment into friendly EAs. The terrain requires the enemy to zigzag and commit to
  frequent detours (due to the compartmentalization during movement),exposing portions of the enemy force
  for destruction without giving up the advantage of friendly forces fighting from protected positions.
  7-143. The enemy’s main effort, predicted to move along Avenue of Approach 2, requires crossing one
  river,the Green River. A secondary effort of the enemy,predicted to move along enemy Avenue of Approach
  1, requires crossing both the Red and Blue Rivers. The least likely enemy avenue of approach, Avenue of
  Approach 3 (A and B) to the north, though the largest area of operations to defend requires the enemy to
  move through severely restricted terrain to the east and west of the Green River. The enemy, predicted to
  establish multiple infiltration lanes (company and platoon size elements) along this approach, infiltrates
  forces to the rear to disrupt friendly operations. Enemy follow-on forces, anticipated armor battalion task
  force,will attempt to exploit enemy successes along enemy Avenues of Approach 1 and 2 (seefigure 7-13
  onpage 7-38).
  Note. The desired end state of step 4 of the IPB process, determine threat COAs, is the
  development of graphic overlays (enemy situation templates) and narratives (enemy COA
  statements) for each possible enemy COA identified. Generally, there will not be enough time
  during the MDMP (see chapter 4) to develop enemy situation overlays for all COAs. A good
  technique is to develop alternate or secondary COAs,write a COAstatement,and produce a list
  of HVTs to use during the mission analysis briefing and COA development during the MDMP.
  Once these tools and products are complete, the staff constructs overlays depicting the enemy’s
  most likely and most dangerous COAto use during the friendly COAdevelopment and friendly
  COAanalysis steps of the MDMP. (SeeATP 2-01.3 and FM 6-0 for additional information.)
  7-144. Step 3. Determine where to kill the enemy. Whether planning deliberately or rapidly when
  determining where to kill enemy, the BCT commander, subordinate commanders, and staffs maintain a
  shared understanding of the steps within the IPB process and the MDMP. Within the scenario that follows
  this paragraph,the BCT commander focuses this effort to determine the effects of the terrain,weather,and
  civil considerations on the enemy avenues of approach identified within and north of the Blue River Valley.
  During step 4 of the IPB, the BCT and battalion staffs (specifically the S-2 and S-3) identify and develop
  possible enemy COAsthat can affect the BCT mission. Based on the results of this analysis,the commander
  concentrates efforts and economizes forces to kill the enemy east of the Green and Red Rivers along three