2-60. For commanders and staffs, stability operations require a unique combination of knowledge and understanding, the ability to achieve unity of effort, and cultural awareness. Military forces have a finite amount of combat power to apply to the tasks associated with a given operation. Stability operations lay the foundation for the success of the instruments of national power. This foundation must sustain the burdens of governance, rule of law, and economic development that represent the future viability of a state. Establishing this foundation depends on applying combat power to the essential stability operations tasks identified during the initial assessment of the situation and the framing of the basic problem. Decisions about using combat power are more than a factor of the size and composition of the force, the strategic mission, and long-term objectives. Commanders and staffs also consider the ethical consequences of those decisions and the signals those actions send to the government and local population of the host nation, as well as to the American people. Resources will never be adequate to cover all stability requirements; thus, essential tasks must be prioritized by leaders at all levels.

3-3. During crisis response and limited contingency operations, the balance of stability and combat tasks vary widely. Some crisis response and limited contingency operations, such as foreign humanitarian assistance, may not require combat. Others, such as strikes and raids, may not require any stability operations. Still others, such as peace operations, require a delicate balance of offensive, defensive, and stability operations throughout. (See JP 3-07.3 for more information on peace operations.)

3-5. During major operations and campaigns, military forces particularly emphasize consolidation of gains and attendant stability operations after achieving major combat objectives. In a transition to a post-conflict situation, initial response activities dominate stability operations. A military force first focuses on establishing the minimum-essential levels of civil security to protect both military and civilian populations and simultaneously ensures access to water, shelter, food, and medical treatment. Military forces begin conducting stability operations supporting transformation and fostering sustainability as resources allow.

5-35. Military forces must quickly seize and retain the initiative when conducting stability operations by engaging civil mechanisms to prevent local conditions from destabilizing or deteriorating. Acting boldly can prevent organized resistance from developing while creating opportunities to reduce suffering, strengthen institutions, and begin the transition to civil authority. Bold initiatives during stability operations involve risk. The close proximity to civilians with immediate access to global information conduits can magnify the consequences of action, inaction, accidents, collateral damage, and casualties. Leaders must carefully balance lethal and nonlethal actions. Overcautious prevention activities or procedures can limit the freedom of action.

3-73. Sustainment unit activities significantly contribute to the performance of the Army’s stability operations tasks by providing sustainment support to U.S. and host-nation forces and by conducting institutional development of a host-nation population. Sustainment support consists of logistics, personnel services, and health service support. Institutional development conducted by U.S. sustainment units include selecting, training, advising, mentoring, and supporting a host nation. (See ADP 4-0 for more sustainment information.)

4-32. Together, the stability sectors and the six Army stability operations tasks provide a framework for identifying the individual tasks that exert the greatest influence on an operation when stability is the major focus. The sectors and tasks help to identify the breadth and depth of relevant civil-military tasks and emphasize the relationships among them. The stability sectors form the basis for the collaborative interagency planning that leads to developing lines of effort that synchronize the actions of all instruments of national power.

2-54. Each Army stability task applies to the stabilization framework. Each discussion illustrates the application of the stability operations tasks to the stabilization framework. Paragraph 1-36 begins the discussion of the stabilization framework.

3-21. Successful peace operations also require support from the local populace and host-nation leaders. As with most stability operations, commanders emphasize the use of information activities, particularly information used to inform and influence various audiences in an area of operations. Peace operations require perseverance to achieve the desired end state. (See JP 3-07.3 for more information on peace operations.)

1-27. DODD 3000.05 emphasizes that many stability operations should be executed by, with, and through the host nation, other external partners, or USG departments and agencies, with U.S. military forces providing support as required. However, the directive clearly states that the “DoD will be prepared to lead U.S. government stabilization efforts ... in extreme situations and less permissive environments until feasible to transition lead responsibility to other USG departments and agencies.”

3-9. Historical experience demonstrates that forces trained exclusively for offensive and defensive operations are not fully proficient at stability operations. Likewise, forces involved in protracted stability operations or DSCA require intensive training to regain proficiency in offensive or defensive operations before engaging in large-scale ground combat operations. While there is inherent risk in either situation, there is greater risk to the force when it is required to conduct offensive and defensive operations for which it is not proficient. Commanders resolve the tension inherent in the different training requirements by setting priorities for individual, collective, and unit mission-essential tasks based upon higher echelon guidance and what their units are most likely to be tasked to do.

2-107. The concept of operations describes the combination of offensive, defensive, or stability operations and how these tasks complement each other. It describes the deep, close, support, and consolidation areas; decisive, shaping, and sustaining operations within those areas; and main and supporting efforts.

2-2. While offensive and defensive operations focus on the destructive effects of combat power against enemy forces, and stability operations focus on restoring host-nation capacity and capability, no single element is more important than another. Army forces conduct offensive, defensive, and stability operations simultaneously to achieve decisive results as part of an interdependent joint force, accepting prudent risk to create opportunities. Units engaged in close operations will generally focus on offensive or defensive tasks, although they will consider stability. Avoiding civilian casualties and unnecessary destruction of infrastructure and supporting host-nation police forces are examples of stability considerations that all units account for during planning. (See ADP 3-0 for more detailed information on unified land operations.)

3-19. Army forces in peace operations strive to create a safe and secure environment, primarily through conduct of stability operations. Army forces use their offensive and defensive capabilities to deter external and internal adversaries from overt actions against each other, the population, or the peace operations force. Establishing security and control enables civilian agencies to address the underlying causes of a conflict and create a self-sustaining peace.

4-33. At the brigade echelon and below, the Army stability operations tasks and corresponding stability sectors are often too broad to focus effort appropriately. At lower tactical echelons, lines of effort may be best designed using assigned tasks, based on thorough analysis of the drivers of conflict, resiliencies, and adversary actions. Lines of effort may focus on specific aspects of the local situation, such as the activities of host-nation security forces, local development projects, and essential services restoration. For example, efforts to restore those services are often shaped using lines of effort based on sewage, water, electricity, academics, trash, medical, safety, and other considerations (known as SWEAT-MSO) while addressing the need to provide emergency food aid and shelter. When designing activities, commanders consider the processes the host nation had in place before the instability and the sustainability of changes introduced by stabilization activities. As operations progress, commanders often modify lines of effort after assessing conditions and collaborating with partners.

1-5. Across the range of military operations, Army units use the fundamentals of stabilization with the principles of joint operations to perform stability operations tasks, which lay the foundation for long-term stability. Effective commanders understand the joint principles in the context of stability operations as part of decisive action and in the context of how to use the fundamentals. (Further discussion of the principles of joint operations in relation to stability activities can be found in JP 3-0, Operations, and JP 3-07, Stability.)

5-63. Protection capabilities are often applied to support economic and infrastructure developmental efforts to foster sustainability during stability operations. Building capacity within the economic sector often requires the protection of specific activities and conditions for local economies to thrive and develop. Business and economic activities typically follow a cycle. Agricultural economy cycles are often seasonal, coinciding with events such as agricultural harvests or conditions that make commodity gathering or production optimal. Industrial-based economy or market cycles may also be impacted by seasons when the change of seasons impacts the ability to transport resources. They may also be founded on a specific calendar, such as a fiscal calendar, which may dictate when investment and production occur. Each market has its own factors that influence its cycles—for example, clothing manufacturers, restaurants, and fish mongers. Each should be looked at separately and holistically from an economic perspective of the OE. These predictable events often telegraph other corresponding or supporting activities that may require protection from interference. Commodity markets can be influenced and manipulated, or commodity producers may be denied access to markets. Manufacturing facilities may be susceptible to illicit labor practices. Black markets can create shortages, while human trafficking may thrive due to underdeveloped economic conditions. Banks and other monetary institutions may require deliberate fixed-site or area security during periods of unrest and shortage or during a shoring-up of their digital security infrastructure.

3-53. Military information support operations exert significant influence on foreign target audiences and are often the primary capability for affecting behaviors among these audiences. During stability operations, psychological operations forces advise commanders and staffs on the psychological effects of their operations, provide public information to the target audience to support humanitarian assistance, and assess adversary propaganda. Although public affairs is only authorized to inform audiences, whereas military information support (psychological operations) forces are also authorized to influence approved target audiences, forces can leverage both of these information-related capabilities to counter adversary propaganda and misinformation. For example, public affairs may present factual, verified information that counters false or misleading claims and unfounded rumors. Effective military information support operations support communications with the local populace, reduce civil interference with military operations, support efforts to establish and maintain rule of law, and influence the host-nation attitude toward external actors. The approved objectives and themes of military information support operations are integrated through the operations process to ensure military forces effectively and efficiently apply limited resources. When supporting a friendly host-nation government, local key leaders and key communicators in whom the populace has confidence should help disseminate messages to enhance message legitimacy in public perception. Furthermore, persons from the same society as the target audience can also better communicate in the cultural context, phrasing messages in a manner that will better resonate with the target audience.

1-43. To achieve conditions that ensure a stable and lasting peace, stability operations capitalize on coordination, cooperation, integration, and synchronization among military and nonmilitary organizations. These complementary civil-military efforts strive to strengthen legitimate governance, restore or maintain rule of law, support economic and infrastructure development, and foster a sense of national unity. These complementary efforts also seek to reform institutions to achieve sustainable peace and security as well as create conditions for transiting control to legitimate civil authorities.

4-30. Lines of effort combine the complementary, long-term effects of stability operations with the cyclic, short-term events typical of offensive or defensive operations. Commanders at all levels use lines of effort to develop tasks, identify complementary and reinforcing actions, and allocate resources appropriately. Commanders may designate actions on one line of effort as the decisive operation and others as shaping operations. They synchronize sequence-related actions across multiple lines of effort. Lines of effort are interdependent and often a specific line cannot begin until forces meet certain intermediate objectives. Similarly, lines of effort do not necessarily progress nor achieve the desired objectives simultaneously.

4-31. Commanders typically visualize operations along lines of effort. At the corps and division levels, commanders may link Army stability tasks to the corresponding stability sectors in the essential stability task matrix. These stability operations link military actions with the broader interagency effort across the levels of war. (Paragraph 2-28 begins a detailed discussion on the stability sectors.) A full complement of lines of effort may also include lines focused on offensive and defensive activities, as well as a line that addresses the information element of combat power. Tasks along an information line of effort typically produce effects across multiple lines of effort.