ABSTRACT
Even for an operation purely 'humanitarian in character', stresses serving French officer Jean Claude Gruaut, 'good weather data are essential for its success'. In the last chapter we saw that the ability to wage battle is a function of having the appropriate economic-technical resources combined with skill and intelligence in their use. Perhaps next in importance to the mix of humans, weapons, strategy, tactics, supply and communications, and surprise are soil, water, air and vegetal-cover factors that play vital-if not determining - roles in the outcome of action.
