2-75. Subordinate tasks associated with these Army stability operations tasks extend beyond simply restoring local civil services and addressing the effects of humanitarian crises. While military forces generally center their efforts on the initial response tasks that provide for the immediate needs of the populace, other civilian agencies and organizations focus on broader humanitarian issues and social well-being. Typically, local and international aid organizations already provide assistance, although the security situation or obstacles to free movement may limit their access to all populations. By providing a secure environment, military forces enable these organizations to expand their access to the entire populace and ease the overall burden on the force to provide this assistance.

4-10. A fundamental tension in planning for stability operations is the tension between short-term needs and long-term objectives. Immediate security or humanitarian concerns can create a need for short-term solutions with negative impacts for longer-term objectives. For example, paying more money to local vendors for fresh produce could negatively affect establishing a sustainable economy.

4-127. A force may transition from defensive operations to stability operations. This generally occurs if the force reaches and establishes a defense along a LOA. Then, there may be a negotiated end to hostilities from which the force transitions to stability. While improving its defensive preparations, the force may begin to increase the amount of resources dedicated to stability.

2-58. Success in the stability component of an operation often depends on the commander’s ability to identify, prioritize, and sequence the tasks essential to mission success. Commanders prioritize and sequence the performance of those tasks with available combat power, the diverse array of actors participating, and the ability of the host nation to accept change. Even more so than in the offense and defense, stability operations require commanders demonstrate cultural awareness and a clear understanding of stability operations to determine those truly essential to mission success.

2-47. Much of the broader success achieved in stability operations begins at the local level as intervening actors engage the populace with modest economic and governance programs. These programs set the building blocks for comprehensive national reform efforts. These efforts strive to build the institutions and processes to ensure the sustained viability of the state. To support the progress of the state from disarray to development, external actors work with host-nation leaders to—

3-70. Intelligence is a key component of successful stability operations. However, if forces perform intelligence tasks in a sovereign nation, then commanders have important considerations. Those considerations can include bilateral agreements, host-nation coordination, potential limitations and restrictions on the exchange of information and intelligence, restrictions on the ability of intelligence to operate within the host nation, and the other complexities inherent in stability operations. (See ADP 2-0 for detailed information on intelligence.)

4-7. Planning for the performance of minimum-essential stability operations tasks and the Army stability operations tasks is integral for all operations. Commanders must balance their conduct of stability operations with existing organizations during the consolidation of gains. Commanders may need to task organize follow and support units to perform minimum-essential stability operations tasks and, if necessary, begin performing Army stability operations tasks. Additionally, commanders must plan for the transition of all units into consolidation of gains after large-scale combat operations cease.

4-38. Commanders use stability mechanisms to visualize how to employ their forces to conduct stability operations in unified land operations. A stability mechanism is the primary method through which friendly forces affect civilians in order to attain conditions that support establishing a lasting, stable peace (ADP 3-0). Some of these mechanisms recover quickly from change in terms of conflict transformation, as they can mitigate drivers of conflict. Combinations of stability mechanisms produce complementary and reinforcing effects that help shape the human dimension of operational environments more effectively and efficiently than a single mechanism applied in isolation. The four stability mechanisms are compel, control, influence, and support.

2-31. The essential stability task matrix provides a foundation for thinking systemically about tasks in stability operations. Many tasks create effects across multiple sectors. In this respect, the essential stability task matrix facilitates integration by allowing sector specialists to establish and understand links among the stability sectors. When intervening actors lack the capability or capacity to perform certain functions, the essential stability task matrix facilitates identifying gaps that require building or leveraging specific capabilities within the international community.

2-80. Ultimately, stability operations strive to leave a host nation at peace with itself and its regional neighbors as well as sustainable without the support of external actors. However, these objectives do not necessarily equate to democratization, especially when interpreted to mean direct elections, despite it often being an end state condition in planning or directed by mandate. In societies already divided along ethnic, tribal, or religious lines, elections may further polarize factions. Generally, representative institutions (and there can be a wide array of representative structures depending on local context) offer the best means of reconstituting a government acceptable to the majority of the citizens. This is the broad intent of developing host-nation governance.

4-29. The third element of operational art applicable to stability operations is line of effort. A line of effort links multiple tasks to focus efforts toward establishing conditions that define the desired objective. Lines of effort are essential for stability operations where physical and positional references to an enemy force or adversary are less relevant. In stability operations, where the human dimension typically becomes the focus of a stability force, lines of effort often work best to link tasks, effects, and conditions to an objective. Lines of effort are essential to helping commanders visualize how military capabilities can support the other instruments of national power. They prove particularly valuable where unity of command is elusive, if not impractical, and when used to achieve unity of effort in operations involving multinational forces and civilian agencies and organizations.

3-15. Establishing liaisons with civilian organizations is especially important in stability operations because of various external organizations and the inherent coordination challenges. Civil affairs units (to include LNOs) are particularly important in coordination with civilian organizations.

2-6. During conflict, stability operations enable the U.S. Army to consolidate gains and set the conditions for post-conflict operations. Plans and execution of those tasks must consider the joint principle of restraint and the ethical application of force. (See JP 3-0 for the principles of operations and ADP 6-22 for ethics.) Commanders also consider the results of lethal or nonlethal actions on an area of operations and their effect on the intended end state. Actions taken during conflict may assist a force in seizing the initiative for post conflict phases. Army forces consolidate gains to set the conditions that enable the actions of other unified action partners to succeed in achieving the broad goals of conflict transformation. Establishing civil security and supporting civil control stabilizes an area of operations. These efforts then provide a foundation for transitioning to civilian control and, eventually, to the host nation.

3-67. Army forces employ a variety of nonlethal means in stability operations. These operations often involve using military capabilities to perform stability operations tasks such as restoring essential services. Some tasks provide constructive support to host-nation civil authorities. However, demonstrating the potential for lethal action (by actions such as increased military presence in an area) often contributes to maintaining order. Other examples include pre-assault warnings and payments for collateral damage.

4-50. As an operation changes from one emphasizing combat operations to one emphasizing stability operations, commanders only have the forces immediately available to conduct those stability operations. Commanders sometimes assign their forces to conduct stability operations within their capabilities that often differ from their exact function. Commanders and staffs try to visualize when unexpected opportunities might arise and adapt their forces to exploit such opportunities.

3-34. Army forces are responsible for the provision of minimum-essential stability operations tasks. Generally these stability tasks include providing security, food, water, and medical treatment. However, Army forces may not perform all the essential tasks if another organization exists that can adequately perform those tasks. Army forces execute a greater number of stability tasks as requirements and capabilities evolve. The military retains the lead to establish civil security through the performance of security force assistance in all cases. The lead for the other all tasks eventually transfers to another military or civilian organization, although Army forces may retain a supporting role. (For more information on stability tasks, see ADP 3-07.)

1-9. Uniting all the diverse capabilities necessary to achieve success in stability operations requires collaboration and cooperation that focus those diverse capabilities toward a common goal. Where military operations typically demand unity of command, the challenge for military and civilian leaders is to forge unity of effort or unity of purpose among the diverse array of actors involved in stability operations. This is the essence of unified action: the synchronization, coordination, and/or integration of the activities of governmental and nongovernmental entities with military operations to achieve unity of effort (JP 1). Unity of effort is coordination and cooperation toward common objectives, even if the participants are not necessarily part of the same command or organization, which is the product of successful unified action (JP 1). To accomplish unity of effort, forces use both a whole-of-government and a comprehensive approach. (See figure 1-1.)

1-24. The body of security strategy that shapes the conduct of stability operations includes the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the National Military Strategy of the United States of America (known as the National Military Strategy). A related strategy is the National Strategy for Counterterrorism of the United States of America. Together with national policy, a national strategy provides the broad direction necessary to conduct operations to support national interests.

2-21. Army forces continue consolidating gains by conducting the Army’s stability operations tasks: establish civil security, support civil control, restore essential services, support to governance, support to economic and infrastructure development, and conduct security cooperation. The tasks associated with the Army stability operations tasks will evolve over time. Army forces will retain the lead for conducting security cooperation, primarily by conducting of security force assistance. Eventually, the lead for the other five tasks will transfer to another military or civilian organization although Army forces may retain a supporting role.

3-30. DDR draws on multiple stability sectors for success. The Army stability operations tasks of establish civil security and conduct security cooperation are key to reaching the DDR objectives. However, all six Army stability operations tasks can play a role in the DDR effort.