Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

The falsity of ‘owning the battlespace’

For years I have heard commanders in combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan talk about “their area of operations” or “owning the battle space.”

By
160517-M-NI439-099 TRAINING AREA 1, JORDAN (May 17, 2016) – U.S. Marine Cpl. X Cerrato, an infantryman with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, shifts his fires in response to a friendly smoke signal during an integrated company assault with the Jordanian Armed Forces as part of a simulated integrated company assault during Exercise Eager Lion 2016. Exercise Eager Lion 2016 is a U.S. bilateral, scenario based exercise with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise and improve interoperability among partner nations. During the sixth iteration of the exercise, both joint and combined military responses to conventional and unconventional threats will be explored. Participating troops will also train across their respective mission sets including border security, inter-ministerial command and control, cyber defense and battlespace management. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paris Capers/ RELEASED)
160517-M-NI439-099 TRAINING AREA 1, JORDAN (May 17, 2016) – U.S. Marine Cpl. X Cerrato, an infantryman with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, shifts his fires in response to a friendly smoke signal during an integrated company assault with the Jordanian Armed Forces as part of a simulated integrated company assault during Exercise Eager Lion 2016. Exercise Eager Lion 2016 is a U.S. bilateral, scenario based exercise with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise and improve interoperability among partner nations. During the sixth iteration of the exercise, both joint and combined military responses to conventional and unconventional threats will be explored. Participating troops will also train across their respective mission sets including border security, inter-ministerial command and control, cyber defense and battlespace management. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paris Capers/ RELEASED)
160517-M-NI439-099 TRAINING AREA 1, JORDAN (May 17, 2016) – U.S. Marine Cpl. X Cerrato, an infantryman with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, shifts his fires in response to a friendly smoke signal during an integrated company assault with the Jordanian Armed Forces as part of a simulated integrated company assault during Exercise Eager Lion 2016. Exercise Eager Lion 2016 is a U.S. bilateral, scenario based exercise with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise and improve interoperability among partner nations. During the sixth iteration of the exercise, both joint and combined military responses to conventional and unconventional threats will be explored. Participating troops will also train across their respective mission sets including border security, inter-ministerial command and control, cyber defense and battlespace management. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paris Capers/ RELEASED)

 

 

Best Defense is on summer hiatus. During this restful spell we offer re-runs from the past 12 months. This item originally ran on April 5.

For years I have heard commanders in combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan talk about “their area of operations” or “owning the battle space.”

Yet I also hear some of those commanders — especially at the battalion and brigade level — complain about special operators busting into their space without adequate coordination, conducting a raid, and giving high fives all around without regard to the consequences.

If you really “owned” the battle space — that is, held sovereignty — wouldn’t Special Ops have to get your permission to operate in it? This may seem a petulant or trivial question, but I think the phrase reflects sloppy thinking, which can lead to confusion and problems. Precision in speech is one way to reduce the friction of war. (And yes, the English/literature departments at military academies should feel free to borrow that last sentence.)

Photo credit: PARIS CAPERS/Flickr/U.S. Marine Corps

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tag: Military

latest

Nigeria’s Unhappy Birthday

As China’s Property Sector Crumbles, Who Takes the Fall?

Hungary Severs Aid to Ukraine

The Hard Road to Equal Pay in U.S. Soccer

Indonesia Asks Where the Money Is for Green Transition
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?
  2. 2
    Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer
  3. 3
    No, the World Is Not Multipolar
  4. 4
    The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
  5. 5
    Iran Is Doubling Down on Headscarves
  6. 6
    America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Trending

  1. Iran Is Doubling Down on Headscarves
    Analysis
    Sina Toossi

  2. Hungary Severs Aid to Ukraine
    World Brief
    Alexandra Sharp

  3. No, the World Is Not Multipolar
    Essay
    Jo Inge Bekkevold

  4. Government Shutdown Threatens Key U.S. Initiative in Pacific
    Report
    Robbie Gramer

  5. How the U.S. Created Its Own Reality
    Excerpt
    Heather Cox Richardson