Quote Originally Posted by William F. Owen View Post
In the real world no one should ever say "Battle Space." It's utterly meaningless. OK, people use the term, but it would seem to signify more ignorance than insight. Terms I use are:

Operational Area . - that defined area of terrain and air space in which an operation will take place. The definition is also time limited.

Area of Responsibility . - that defined area where a unit or sub-unit has responsibility for activity and/or security.

As concerns "owners" is not "ownership" often contested?
Wilf, there are no issues with employing those terms. They are doctrinal and have clear definitions. I don't think that battlespace owner has the same rigidity in terms of a doctrinal construct, but people have come to understand that when it is used, it generally means the terrain within a prescribed boundary that is controlled by X element.

BSO is a snazzier term, as Area of Responsibility Owner just doesn't roll off the tongues as well.

Yeah, the HN should be considered the BSO, but at the end of the day, not a whole lot of stock should be put into the term itself. We know what the objective understanding should be, even if the common understanding or threshold leaves a lot to be desired. Even when using doctrinal terms, there are nuances to them that differ between Marine and Army usage, despite joint definitions existing in black and white.