3-60. Army forces perform area security to ensure freedom of action and to deny enemy forces the ability to disrupt operations. Commanders combine reconnaissance tasks and offensive, defensive, and stability operations to protect friendly forces, populations, infrastructure, and activities critical to mission accomplishment. Army forces integrate with partner military, law enforcement, and civil capabilities to establish and maintain security. The Army’s ability to establish control is critical to consolidating gains in the wake of successful military operations.

3-6. Success in consolidating gains is obtained through setting the conditions for a stable environment. Staffs should weigh the prioritization of protection capabilities required to support large-scale and stability operations with the simultaneous protection of consolidation areas. During operations to consolidate gains, prioritization considerations are focused on security tasks to stabilize the area and protect the force, bases, routes, areas, and critical infrastructure.

1-56. As security increases within the consolidation area and, eventually, the entire AO, the focus on stability operations will also increase. The six stability tasks are establish civil security, establish civil control, restore essential services, support governance, support economic and infrastructure development, and conduct security cooperation. Stability tasks shape the OE to set conditions for a transition to legitimate authorities assuming responsibility for the area. Commanders and staffs use a targeting methodology to determine what effects must be created and how to create them in order to shape the environment for successful transition to civil control. This begins during planning, as leaders determine the desired end state and objectives as well as the effects that they must create in order to achieve those objectives and reach that end state.

5-46. The protection of civil institutions, processes, and systems that are required to reach the end-state conditions of the stability framework can often be the most decisive factor in operations because its accomplishment is essential for long-term success. For that reason, stability operations require a whole-of-government approach that sets the conditions necessary to enable the elements of national power (diplomatic, information, military, and economic). Stability operations tasks include—

4-3. A defensive operation is an operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations (ADP 3-0). The inherent strengths of the defense are the defender’s ability to occupy positions before an attack and use the available time to improve those defenses. A defending force stops improving its defensive preparations only when it retrogrades or begins to engage enemy forces. Even during combat, a defending force takes the opportunities afforded by lulls in action to improve its positions and repair combat damage.

3-71. The concepts and processes used to produce intelligence to support decision making for DSCA are no different from those used during offensive, defensive, and stability operations. However, an operational environment is different, and all commanders must ensure intelligence support in DSCA remains within the guidelines of U.S. law and applicable policies. Commanders ensure adherence to regulations, statutes, and laws concerning intelligence activities by following DODM 5240.01 for procedures 1 through 10, DOD 5240.1-R for procedures 11 through 15, and AR 381-10, US Army Intelligence Activities.

1-43. The concepts and basic processes used to produce intelligence to support decision making for DSCA are no different from those used during offensive, defensive, and stability operations. However, the operational environment is significantly different, and all commanders must ensure intelligence support in DSCA remains within the guidelines of U.S. law and applicable policies.

2-25. Linking the basic civilian and military task frameworks creates a single model that forms the basis for developing lines of effort. (See chapter 4 for more detail on using lines of effort in stability operations.) This model serves as the foundation for an integrated approach based on unity of effort and coordinated engagement. Thus, the conduct of unified land operations to support a broader effort contributes toward the shared end state established by the actors involved. The execution of discrete military tasks links to a coordinated, comprehensive effort. This ensures that the efforts of military forces integrate with broader engagement activities. These efforts work toward a common goal and shared understanding of the desired end state. A clear delineation and understanding of the formal lines of authority enhances unity of effort. Together, with the activities of the other participants, these tasks contribute to unity of effort with actors involved in any collaborative effort.

defensive operation – An operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations. (ADP 3-0)

5-4. In large-scale ground combat operations against a peer threat, commanders conduct decisive action to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Decisive action is the continuous, simultaneous execution of offensive, defensive, and stability operations or defense support of civil authority tasks (ADP 3-0). Operations conducted outside the United States and its territories simultaneously combine three elements—offense, defense, and stability. Within the United States and its territories, decisive action combines the elements of defense support of civil authorities and offense and defense to support homeland defense, when required.

1-37. A defensive operation is an operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations (ADP 3-0). Normally, the defense cannot achieve a decisive victory. However, it sets conditions for a counteroffensive or a counterattack that enables forces to regain the initiative. Defensive operations are a counter to an enemy offensive action. They defeat attacks, destroying as much of the attacking enemy as possible. They also preserve control over land, resources, and populations. The purpose of defensive operations is to retain key terrain, guard populations, protect lines of communications, and protect critical capabilities against enemy attacks. Commanders can conduct defensive operations to gain time and economize forces so offensive operations can be executed elsewhere. (See ADP 3-90 for a detailed discussion of defensive operations.)

3-13. A defensive operation is an operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations. Normally the defense cannot achieve a decisive victory. However, it sets conditions for a counteroffensive or a counterattack that enables forces to regain the initiative. Defensive operations are a counter to an enemy offensive action, and they seek to destroy as much of the attacking enemy forces as possible. They preserve control over land, resources, and populations, and retain key terrain, protect lines of communications, and protect critical capabilities against attack. Commanders can conduct defensive operations in one area to free forces for offensive operations elsewhere. (See ADP 3-90 for a detailed discussion of the defense.)

3-75. A defensive operation is an operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations (ADP 3-0). Defensive operations can set conditions for a counteroffensive or counterattack that enables Army forces to regain the initiative.

5-20. A defensive operation is an operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations (ADP 3-0). Commanders can use the defense to gain time and economize forces so that offensive operations can be executed elsewhere. Defensive operations—

3-20. Peace operations require opposing parties to cooperate with the international community, including international organizations and nongovernmental organizations. In most peace operations, this cooperation is voluntary. However, peace enforcement involves the threat or use of military force to compel cooperation. Consolidation of gains and its associated stability operations will be required. The likelihood of combat declines, and, when it occurs, it is usually at the small-unit level. Military forces involved in peace operations prepare for sudden engagements even while executing operations to prevent them.

1-2. A stability operation is an operation conducted outside the United States in coordination with other instruments of national power to establish or maintain a secure environment and provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief (ADP 3-0). A stability operation occurs as part of decisive action in a joint operation or as an activity (often in peacetime). Stability operations tasks are those tasks executed by an Army commander to successfully accomplish stability operations. These tasks may be the focus of the operation’s mission, be performed as tasks (specified or implied) in an operation focused on combat, or be performed as activities (often in peacetime).

4-48. Force tailoring is continuous: as new forces rotate into an operational area, forces with excess capabilities return to the supporting combatant and Army Service component commands. Tailoring the force to conduct stability operations may require commanders to assign subordinate units tasks not normally considered to be their primary mission.

1-48. The Army, as part of the joint force, conducts large-scale combat operations. The preponderance of large-scale combat operations will consist of offensive and defensive operations initially, although some. stability operations will occur simultaneously as part of consolidating gains. Commanders employ fires as part of large-scale combat operations by creating effects to enable joint force freedom of action.

2-6. Army support of civil authorities is a vital element of unified land operations and homeland security. However, DSCA tasks differ substantially from other elements of decisive action. Decisive action is the continuous, simultaneous execution of offensive, defensive, and stability operations or defense support of civil authorities tasks (ADP 3-0). Important differences include the roles and responsibilities of civilian organizations and the relationship of military forces to federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local government agencies. The purposes and characteristics of Army support in the homeland shape the Army's conduct of decisive action.

decisive action – (Army) The continuous, simultaneous execution of offensive, defensive, and stability operations or defense support of civil authorities tasks. (ADP 3-0)