Intelligence Preparation of the THEATER

Operational IPB describes U.S. Army doctrine for the precombat intelligence estimate process employed at the operational level of war. Its methodology is contained in an appendix to a tactical field manual, FM 34-130, Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield. Commanders and staffs rely on operational IPB to locate enemy centers of gravity--a Clausewitzian theoretical concept heralded as the essence of operational art. Due to Army-wide acceptance of original IPB doctrine and growing interest in war fighting, operational IPB has emerged as a simple, familiar procedural solution to the search for a center of gravity. This study seeks to determine whether the abstract concepts contained in operational IPB doctrine provide an adequate theoretical foundation for intelligence estimates in a theater of operations. The monograph first assesses present doctrine regarding operational art, operational intelligence, and operational IPB, with the goal of demonstrating center of gravitys central role in each.