1-6. Army forces gain, sustain, and exploit control over land to deny its use to an enemy. They do this with combined arms formations, possessing the mobility, firepower, and protection to defeat an enemy and establish control of areas, resources, and populations. Military activities and operations are inherently hazardous. Commanders and leaders conducting unified land operations must accept prudent risks every day based on the significance of the mission, the demand of the operation, and opportunity. In warfare, this reality defines the sacred trust that must exist between leaders and Soldiers regarding mission accomplishment and force protection. Force protection is preventive measures taken to mitigate hostile actions against Department of Defense personnel (to include family members), resources, facilities, and critical information (JP 3-0). A commander’s inherent duty to protect the force should not lead to risk aversion or inhibit the freedom of action necessary for maintaining initiative and momentum or achieving decisive results during operations. Leaders must balance these competing responsibilities and make risk decisions based on experience, ethical and analytical reasoning, knowledge of the unit, and the situation.