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(U) References: Refer to Annex B.

1. (U) Situation.

a. (U) Terrain

(1) (U) General. Terrain in the AO is compartmentalized, complex terrain in the west opening into the KURA river basin. Vegetation is scattered and seasonal with very little vegetation present during March and April. Agricultural fields are trafficable only during the late summer months or if frozen during the winter. The Kura and Araks/Aras are two major river systems in the AO with many rivulets and canals.

(2) (U) Natural terrain (surface configuration) .

(a) (U) Relief. The highest terrain in the AO is found in the southeast along the Atropian-Arianian border at an altitude of 6,000 above mean sea level (MSL). The lowest terrain is found in the east central portion astride the banks of the Kura River Sea near Neftec Hala with an elevation of 69 feet below sea level.

(b) (U) Hydrology. Atropia is bordered by the Caspian Sea, the biggest closed water basin-lake in the world. But due to its size and some hydrological peculiarities it is called a sea. All rivers of Atropia drain into the Caspian Sea. The river network of Atropia accounts for more than 8,350 rivers of different sizes with an overall length of 33,665 km.

Figure 1. Major Rivers of Atropia

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1. (U) Kura River. The Kura River is the biggest waterway not only in Atropia, but also in the whole Caucasus. Within the Republic's territory its length is about 900 km, with a total length of more than 1500 km. The Kura River is 50-200m wide, depths ranging from 7-15m, velocity of .5 to 1.3 meters per second and has low, steep banks. The river is navigable by shallow draft boats from the Caspian Sea to just north of Yevlakh. Being a typical mountainous river in its upper reaches the Kura River performs considerable erosive work and carries a great amount of suspended material, from coarse pebbles to fine sands. Because of fine and sandy slime the river water has a typical chocolate-gray and gray color. The river flow is regulated by a cascade of dams, Shamhkor (38T NL 9100 3500) and Mingachevir (38T PL 5200 3000). The main mass of sediment accumulates in water reservoirs, where their weight reaches more than 1.5 million tons.

2. (U) Araks River. The second largest waterway is the Araks River (also known as the Aras River), a tributary of the Kura River. The river is fast and not navigable and is important for irrigation in the region. A high current velocity influences the character of sediment carried by the river. Bottom materials in the southern area consist of pebbles and course sands, downstream the pebbles and sands are replaced by sandy, and closer to the mouth, by sandy-silt material.

(3) (U) Other Rivers. Other rivers can be divided into two distinct groups; Mountain Rivers and Plains Rivers. The Mountain Rivers start high in the mountains, at a height of 2000-3500 m, flow in deep ravines, have steep slopes, form overfills and waterfalls on their way, break up into numerous branches, and very often do not have permanent river-beds. These rivers get their supply of water from rains and melted snow in the mountains. The latter group of rivers is located in the vast Kura-Araks Lowland. Their current is calm. In some places they have deep riverbeds, which occur as a result of a slight washout of bottom materials.

(4) (U) Marshes and Swamps. Due to geographic position and climatic conditions, marshes are of limited value in terms of water resources. The mountainous and strongly indented relief does not allow the lands to become marsh-ridden, and small swamps are observed only in the lower part of the Kura-Araks Lowland. Small swamp areas may be found near the main irrigation canals as a result of infiltration of their water and an increase in the ground water level.

(5) (U) Reservoirs and Canals. An artificial irrigation system has been created in Atropia, which includes 6 main canals, three collector channels, and more than 50 water reservoirs, including five reservoirs with a volume of more than 1 million cubic meters each and different types of flow regulation, which are of great importance as water resources. The length of the canals in Atropia is 47,058 km. The Upper Karabakh Canal is an important canal, 175 km, connecting the Araks River to the Kura River and the Mingechaur Reservoir to the north. The canal irrigates 100,000 hectares of land and provides water to the Araks River during the dry summer months.

(c) (U). Drainage. Drainage of surface water follows a tree-like pattern (dendriform drainage) composed of branching tributaries to the main stream over essentially a flat-lying area.

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The flooding season generally occurs during spring when the snow and ice begin to melt at the higher elevations overflowing rivulets and tributaries.

(d) (U) Soils. Seasonal conditions alter the quality of cross-country movement, mainly by changes in the soil moisture content. Heavy rains cause deep mud for periods of a few days to a few weeks in low areas with fine-grained soils.

(e) (U) Natural resources. The most important resource of the area is oil and associated natural gas. Additionally, iron and aluminum ore, pyrite, molybdenum, arsenic deposits found in the Greater Caucasus with the riches deposits of iron ore in the Lesser Caucasus are commercially important resources.

(3) (U) Structures.

(a) (U) Roads. Atropia has approximately 57,700 km of roads of which 54,000 km are paved. Atropia’s highest capacity road runs parallel to rail lines from the hub at Baku (39T VE 0400 7200) west to Yevlakh (39T PK 8200 9800) and onto Tbilisi (38T MM 8400 1700). This road's capacity is rated at 7000 vehicles per day each way from Baku to Yevlakh and 5900 vehicles per day from Yevlakh to Gyandzha (38T PL 1500 0400). Major roads connect the larger cities to one another and to the country's industrial and agricultural centers. Cars are driven on the right side of the road. Roads are not well maintained and have deteriorated significantly over the last several years. Atropia has approximately 3,600 kilometers of unpaved roads, which connect small urban centers with surrounding rural areas. Potholes are frequent and deep. Streets are narrow and often crowded with parked vehicles and pedestrian traffic. Road signs are not always evident or are in disrepair. Many drivers ignore the basic rules of the road. Most roads of international importance were reconstructed and rehabilitated in 2005.

(b) (U) Bridges. Like the roads the bridges are in poor condition. Bridges over smaller waterways are generally class 30 or smaller, major bridges on main highways are usually class 50 to class 70. Three bridges (two over the Araks at Imishli (39S TE 4900 1500) and Saatly (39T TE 7300 2500); and one over the Kura near Surra (39T TE 8900 3800)) are key to area operations. There are approximately 5 suitable river crossings based off imagery analysis. Starting in the north: The Kura river crossing IVO Temishili offers excellent crossing site with the use of the bridges to push security on the far side as the bridge is being emplaced, crossing IVO Sabribad, two crossing IVO Saatly, and the Birmay bridge/dam crossing. The crossings IVO Saatly offer the same characteristics.

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Figure 2. AT Bridges w/Crossing Sites

(c) (U) Railroads. Atropian State Railway (ASR), known as Atrail, operates the rail network. Atropia has 2,125 kilometers of rail lines, excluding several small industrial lines. Most lines are 1.520 metre broad gauge, and the principal routes are electrified (1,278km). The car inventory totals 25,438. The company has 252 locomotives, 280 engines, and 76 electro-sections. Except for a few locomotives that are repaired out of the country, Atrail now does most of its own maintenance work. One of the two main lines parallels the Caspian Sea coast from Donovia to Ariana before heading west to Kemalia, the other closely parallels Route M27 from Baku to the Gorgan border. A major spur also parallels the highway to Xankandi. Another smaller rail line begins just west of Baku and hugs the Arianian border to provide the only rail link to Atropia's Nakhchivan. Passenger service from Baku to Yerevan has been suspended. In 1994, passenger service from Baku to Ariana also was halted. From Baku there are train connections with Tbilisi in Gorgas and Derbent in Dagestan (Donovian Federation), as well as Moscow, Rostov, Kiev, Kharkiv (Ukraine), Brest (Belarus), and other major cities in the CIS. Atrail’s hopes laid in the rehabilitation of the historic "Silk Road" rail transport corridor. Under the European Union’s TACIS (Technical Assistance to the CIS countries) umbrella, the multi-nation TRACECA ("Transport Corridor - Europe - Caucasus - Asia") transportation infrastructure program has reconstructed and modernized the existing line from Akhalkalaki on to Tbilisi and Baku. 98 kilometers (61 mi) of new line has been built between Kars and Akhalkalaki, with 68 kilometers (42 mi) within Kemalia and 30 kilometers 19 mi) in Gorgas. The existing line from Akhalkalaki on to Tbilisi and Baku was modernized. This new line has the capacity to haul 15 million ton goods per year. There are 13 hospitals at the disposal of the railway, with a capacity to treat 1,800 patients simultaneously. The company also has two polyclinics, six ambulance stations, and 60 medical teams.

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(d) (U) Airfields. Numerous airfields are present throughout the region. Many have been abandoned for years and may require engineer support to become fully capable of handling military loads. Although the abandoned airfields may not handle fixed winged aircraft, all will be suitable for rotary wing operations. The major airfield of Atropia is Baku Bina. It consists of a concrete runway and an asphalt runway both capable of handling C-5s. Other approved airfields are listed below.

Latitude Longitude Name Length Width Surface Aircraft Country400108 0472716 AGDZHABEDI 5600 125 Graded Earth C130 C17 ATROPIA

410722 0452522 AKSTAFA 7098 115 Asphalt C130 C17 ATROPIA402800 0500312 BAKU BINA

(HEYDAR ALIYEV)

885810499

196148

AsphaltConcrete

C130 C5 C17

ATROPIA

402554 0501000 BAKU KALA 8464 130 Concrete C130 C17

ATROPIA

414512 0462119 BELOKANY 3966 120 Asphalt C130 ATROPIA405328 0455715 DOLLYAR 8182 135 Concrete C130 C17 ATROPIA393539 0471149 FIZULI EAST ~4740 ~100 Unknown Unknown ATROPIA392551 0471707 GORADIZ 1900 60 Gravel No Fixed Wing ATROPIA404405 0461906 GYANDZHA 8211 144 Concrete C130 C17

KC-135ATROPIA

394954 0485801 KARACHALA 6562 200 Concrete C130 C17 ATROPIA400154 0485409 KAZI MAGOMED 6562 ~100 Asphalt Unknown ATROPIA401624 0480949 KYURDAMIR 6500 130 Concrete C130 C17 ATROPIA390053 0484846 KYZYLAGADZH 6555 185 Concrete C130 C17 ATROPIA384507 0484933 LENKORAN 5172 132 Asphalt C130 C17 ATROPIA403103 0464941 NAFTALAN 4921 ~100 Asphalt Unknown ATROPIA391123 0452720 NAKHICHEVAN 10782 148 Asphalt C130 C17

KC-10 KC-135

ATROPIA

403529 0493327 NASOSNAYA 8218 132 Concrete C130 C17 ATROPIA395115 0492025 PIRSAGAT 6562 ~100 Concrete C130 C17 ATROPIA393859 0485929 SALYANY 6562 ~100 Concrete Unknown ATROPIA400743 0492714 SANGACHALY 6562 ~100 Concrete Unknown ATROPIA410810 0470935 SHEKI 4921 ~100 Asphalt Unknown ATROPIA404830 0492553 SITAL-CHAY 8202 ~100 Concrete Unknown ATROPIA404436 0465125 TANRYKULUAR 7540 150 Asphalt C130 C17 ATROPIA403802 0470826 YEVLAKH 5241 115 Asphalt C130 C17 ATROPIA413346 0464001 ZAKATALY 5741 ~165 Asphalt Unknown ATROPIA

(e) (U) Pipelines. There are three major oil pipelines traverse the area: Baku – Supsa (also known as Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP)), the Baku–Novorossiysk (also known as the Northern Route Export Pipeline and Northern Early Oil Pipeline), and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC). The Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline. The State Oil Company of Atropia Republic (SOCAR) is the government-owned entity responsible for all aspects of exploration and development related to oil and gas fields both onshore and offshore for the Republic of Atropia.

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(f) (U) Agriculture. The major agricultural cash crops are grapes, cotton, tobacco, citrus fruits, and vegetables. The first three crops account for over half of all production, and the last two together accounts for an additional 30 percent. Livestock, dairy products, wine, and spirits are also important farm products. Most of Atropia's cultivated lands, which total over 1 million hectares, are irrigated by more than 40,000 kilometers of canals and pipelines. Production of virtually all crops declined in the early 1990s. In 1990, work stoppages and anti-Donovian demonstrations contributed to declines in agricultural production. The conflict in Artzak, the site of about one-third of Atropia's croplands, substantially reduced agricultural production beginning in 1989. In 1992, agriculture's contribution to NMP declined by 22 percent. This drop was attributed mainly to cool weather, which reduced cotton and grape harvests, and to the continuation of the Artzak conflict. The conflict induced blockade of the Naxcivan Autonomous Republic also disrupted agriculture there. An estimated 1,200 state and cooperative farms are in operation in Atropia, with little actual difference between the rights and privileges of state and cooperative holdings. Small private garden plots, constituting only a fraction of total cultivated land, contribute as much as 20 percent of agricultural production and more than half of livestock production. Private landholders do not have equal access, however, to the inputs, services, and financing that would maximize their output. The Atropian Ministry of Agriculture and Food runs procurement centers dispersed throughout the country for government purchase of most of the tobacco, cotton, tea, silk, and grapes that are produced. The

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Ministry of Grain and Bread Products runs similar operations that buy a major portion of grain production. Remaining crops are sold in the private sector. Agricultural fields are trafficable only during the late summer months or if frozen during the winter.

b. (U) Effects on enemy capabilities.

(1) Terrain favors defense warfare by lightly equipped forces.

(2) The enemy will be restricted to a few road networks due to irrigation fields and mountain passes.

(3) The KURA River inhibits the ability to rapidly shift forces.

(4) Vehicle movement between water obstacles will be restricted to roads.

(5) The Kura and Araks Rivers require bridging operations to project forces and logistics across. These two rivers also provide great lines to anchor defenses along (effects both enemy and coalition forces).

c. (U) Effects on friendly courses of action.

(1) Movement from TBLISI to YEVLAKH is restricted to the road with very few exceptions. Once forces are 8-10 km east of YEVLAKH off road maneuver for tracked and wheeled vehicle is possible and gets better the farther east and southeast you are.

(2) Capture of existing bridges will be key to maintaining attack momentum.

(3) By mid-April, morning fog should become the norm and will inhibit visibility improving concealment. This morning temperature inversion will significantly improve the effectiveness of smoke operations and enhance concealing our movement. Deception operation should also improve.

(4) Extensive ADA assets are needed to protect the bridges, railroads, airfields, and ports.

(5) There is limited concealment and dominant terrain adjacent to waterways.

2. (U) Mission. Refer to Annex B.

3. (U) Execution. Refer to Annex B.

4. (U) Sustainment. Refer to Annex B.

5. (U) Command and Signal. Refer to Annex B.

ACKNOWLEDGE: __________MG

OFFICIAL:

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ATTACHMENTS:

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