3-78. Stability operations are operations conducted outside the United States in coordination with other instruments of national power to establish or maintain a secure environment, provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief. (See ADP 3-07, Stability.) Sustainment in operations with a dominant stability component often involves supporting U.S. forces, multinational forces, and other contributing partners in a wide range of missions and tasks. It will require interaction with other governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

2-4. Stability operations are a part of every type of operation; however, the proportion of stability operations in relation to offensive and defensive operations may change. Stability operations enable forces to establish civil security and support civil control; facilitate reconciliation among local or regional adversaries; support the establishment of political, legal, social, and economic institutions; facilitate the transition of responsibility to a legitimate civil authority; and build security relationships. Stability operations may also support the efforts of a transitional civil or military authority when no legitimate government exists. They can also support the efforts of a legitimate government faced with its inability to maintain security and control due to capacity shortfalls or its inability to meet the needs of its population because of a natural or man-made disaster. Generally, the responsibility for providing for the basic needs of the people rests with the host-nation government or designated civil authorities, agencies, and organizations. When this is not possible, military forces may provide security and essential civil services to a local populace until a civil authority or the host nation can provide these services. In this capacity, military forces perform specific functions as part of a broader response effort, supporting the activities of other agencies, organizations, institutions, and the host nation. Stability operations require many inter-organizational activities. Tasks from across different sectors are integrated into coherent, carefully synchronized lines of effort organized around objectives.

2-5. Stability operations are a key component of unified land operations conducted as part of global, theater, and operational shaping; during conflict; or in a post-conflict situation. (See figure 2-2.) Usually U.S. forces conduct stability operations to support a host-nation government. However, stability operations may also support the efforts of a transitional civil or military authority when no legitimate government exists. Security cooperation tasks in fragile states act as preventative measures and reinforce multinational partners and support for more stable nations. U.S. forces conduct such engagements as part of a whole-of-government approach involving other unified action partners.

2-55. Stability operations strive to stabilize an operational environment enough so the host nation can begin to resolve the root causes of conflict and state failure. These operations establish a safe, secure environment that facilitates reconciliation among local or regional adversaries. Consolidation of gains seeks to establish conditions that support the transition to legitimate host-nation governance, a functioning civil society, and a viable market economy.

3-1. Stability operations—whether conducted before, during, or after a conflict—require a unique application of some considerations common to operations. Some types of operations feature stability operations relative to offensive and defensive operations. However, these operations, as with most decisive action, have elements of offense and defense as well.

3-68. Stability operations emphasize nonlethal, constructive actions by Soldiers working among noncombatants. Civil affairs personnel have a major role. In these operations, they work with and through host-nation agencies and other organizations to enhance the host-nation government’s legitimacy. Commanders employ information operations, shaped by intelligence, to engage with and influence relevant foreign audiences in accordance with U.S. law and designated authorities. Commanders’ information operations contribute directly to tactical and operational success and support objectives at the strategic level. Commanders also integrate information operations with stability operations to counter false and distorted information and propaganda. Nonlethal, constructive actions can persuade a local populace to withhold support from enemy forces and provide information to friendly forces. Loss of popular support presents enemy forces with two bad choices: stay and risk capture, or depart and risk exposure to lethal actions in less populated areas.

4-8. Stability operations increasingly involve multilateral and diverse actors and stakeholders that can provide different and useful resources and capabilities to an effort. Effective planning accounts for these capabilities and activities. In some cases, these actors achieve cooperation towards common goals or even share resources. In other cases, such cooperation is not practical given divergent goals and objectives. Effective commanders understand the multiple actors and their potential (or lack of potential) for cooperation and mutual support. This understanding helps focus resources or even identify areas in which to apply resources to augment other activities that support stabilization objectives.

4-58. Stability operations, especially in post-conflict situations, often take a long time with military forces gauging progress over the course of months or years. Effective forces consider responsiveness for selecting measurement tools in stability. In stability, responsiveness is the speed with which a desired change can be detected by a measurement tool. In practice, responsiveness varies greatly among potential measures of effectiveness. It is critical to select measures of effectiveness and supporting indicators as responsive as possible during the conduct of these operations. Patience is also critical as tactical impatience can lead to selecting indicators that satisfy reporting requirements but that do not provide an accurate assessment.

5-34. Stability operations are used to support a host nation or interim government or a transitional military authority when no government exists. They involve coercive and constructive actions, help establish or maintain a safe and secure environment, and facilitate reconciliation among local or regional adversaries. Stability operations can also help establish political, legal, social, and economic institutions while supporting the transition to legitimate host nation governance. Stability operations cannot be successful if they are only used to react to enemy or adversary initiatives; they must also be used to maintain the initiative through the pursuit of objectives that resolve the causes of instability.

5-38. Stability operations require commanders to balance protection needs between military forces and civil populations. Because U.S. forces and the local population frequently interact, planning for their protection is important and difficult. Threats attack to weaken U.S. resolve and promote their individual agendas. Such enemies, who may be nearly indistinguishable from noncombatants, view U.S. forces and facilities as prime targets. An additional planning consideration during stability operations is to protect the force while using the minimum force necessary, which is consistent with the approved rules of engagement. The escalation of force TTP must also be rehearsed and be flexible enough to change with the local threat conditions. Collateral damage caused by military operations can negatively impact the mission and can support enemy or adversary provocation tactics. Conversely, overly restrictive rules of engagement can limit the freedom of action and the ability to protect the force.

5-41. Stability operations and irregular warfare often involve conflict between nonstate actors who possess limited conventional forces. For this reason, some Army functional capabilities are often retasked from their primary function to conduct or reinforce protection efforts such as fratricide avoidance, OPSEC, and AT based on METT-TC.

5-51. Stability operations in decisive action are often characterized by retaining the initiative. Tactical and nontactical movement occurs throughout the AO as a matter of military necessity and as a component of a normalized society. Controlling and maintaining the freedom of movement in the AO—

1-40. For stability operations, commanders often require more detailed intelligence and IPB products to determine how best to conduct operations and influence the local populace to enhance stability. The identification and analysis of threats, terrain and weather, and civil considerations are critical in determining the most effective missions, tasks, and locations to conduct specific stability tasks. A lack of knowledge concerning insurgents, local politics, customs, culture, and how to differentiate between local combatants often leads to U.S. actions that can result in unintended and disadvantageous consequences. Consequences can include attacking unsuitable targets or offending or causing mistrust among the local population. This lack of knowledge could potentially threaten mission accomplishment. The G-2/S-2 and G-3/S-3, in coordination with the rest of the staff, develop a synchronized and integrated information collection plan that satisfies the commander's information requirements. (For more information on stability operations, see ADP 3-07.)

1-7. Executing stability operations supports the fundamentals of stabilization. Army stability operations are part of broader efforts by other agencies and organizations, including the United States Government (USG), international governments, or nongovernment agencies and organizations to set and maintain conditions for stability in an unstable area or to reestablish enduring peace and stability after open hostilities end. When involved, military forces execute stability operations continuously throughout all joint operations. Executed early enough and in support of broader national policy goals and interests, stability operations effectively reduce the risk of partner nations or occupied territories descending into politically motivated violence by addressing the sources of instability before hostilities begin. In post-conflict interventions, effectively executing stability operations mitigates the risk of lengthy military peacetime engagements. The following fundamentals of stabilization create the foundation for long-term stability:

2-24. During stability operations, leaders achieve unity of effort across the stability sectors by focusing all activities toward a common set of objectives and a shared understanding of the desired end state. The end state focuses on the conditions required to support a secure, lasting peace; a viable market economy; and a legitimate host-nation government capable of providing for its populations’ essential needs. Together, the stability sectors, joint stability functions, and the Army stability operations tasks constitute a single, integrated model essential to achieving unity of effort. Leaders foster unity of effort by applying these concepts:

2-53. Army stability operations tasks are fundamental to unified land operations and are performed across the range of military operations, from stable peace to general war. Military forces execute Army stability operations tasks before, during, or after conflict to support a legitimate host-nation government, to assist a fragile state, or in the absence of a functioning civil authority. Each situation is unique. Assessment and analysis support planning and execution to determine the ends, ways, and means appropriate to the conditions of an operational environment.

3-52. In stability operations, Soldier and leader engagement is a highly effective information-related capability synchronized by information operations. This sustained engagement of the host-nation population most directly influences the perceptions and shapes the behaviors of the population. Soldier and leader engagement amplifies positive actions, counters enemy propaganda, and increases support among the host-nation population. It begins with the direct interaction between Soldiers and the local populace, where the consistency among words, images, and deeds is most important. It includes meetings conducted with key communicators, civilian leaders, or others whose perceptions, decisions, and actions affect mission accomplishment. Conducted with detailed preparation and planning, both activities often prove crucial in building local support for military operations, providing an opportunity for persuasion, and reducing friction and mistrust. Such actions are essential to gaining the trust and confidence of the local populace.

4-23. During stability operations, integrating military and nonmilitary capabilities is the only way to achieve success. These efforts focus on a shared understanding of the conditions that support a stable, lasting peace. Due to the interrelated nature of the Army stability tasks, these efforts are fundamentally complementary and contribute toward shaping enduring political objectives.

4-25. Effective stability operations are related to how they either mitigate drivers of conflict or support resiliencies in their end states. Commanders articulate their expectations of the logic of how to achieve these effects as part of their plan.

4-28. For stability operations, commanders identify the decisive points (including events and conditions) that most directly influence the end state conditions. Effective decisive points enable commanders to seize, retain, or exploit the initiative. Controlling them is essential to mission accomplishment. Ceding control of a decisive point may exhaust friendly momentum, force early culmination, or expose a force to undue risk. Decisive points shape the design of operations. They help commanders select clearly decisive, attainable objectives that directly contribute to establishing the end state.