Nicholas Krohley
Introduction
The human environment is fundamental to any military campaign. It is the interconnected set of social, economic, political, and cultural systems that comprise our lived reality. Our enemies are integral features of the human environment, as are our allies, and likewise the people amongst whom we fight. The human environment is the living, breathing context in which military operations of all types occur, and within which the consequences of those operations reverberate.
Land Forces must develop a granular understanding of the human environment, in order to maneuver astutely therein. This begets a critical challenge: the human environment is incomprehensibly vast and perpetually dynamic. Detailed understanding is essential, but comprehensive understanding is impossible.
A traditional reconnaissance element can be straightforwardly tasked to map the physical environment within a given area. Every bridge, hill, and hospital can be meticulously and objectively plotted. Similarly, intelligence assets can be tasked to provide a comprehensive view of the disposition of enemy forces or the composition of an enemy network. Constraints of time and access may prevent a complete understanding, but the tasking itself (to identify and assess a finite number of discrete things) is reasonable. We know what we are looking for, and we know where and how to look.
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