MILITARY OPERATIONS DEFINITIONS

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References:

FM 3-90 (DTD JUL 2001)

FM 101-5-1 (DTD SEP 1997)

FM 3-0

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AMBUSH: a surprise attack from a concealed position.

ATTACK BY FIRE:  A tactical mission task to engage an enemy without closing; to destroy, suppress, fix, or deceive.

BREACH: A tactical mission task to break through or secure a passage through an enemy defense, obstacle, minefield, or fortification.

BLOCK: Denies the enemy access to an area or prevents his advance in a direction or along an avenue of approach.

BYPASS: A tatical mission task in which the unit manuevers around a obstacle, position, of enemy force to maintain the momentum of the operation while deliberately avoiding combat with the enemy force.

CANALIZE: Restricts enemy movement to a narrow zone by exploiting terrain coupled with the use of obstacles,fires, or friendly manuever.

CLEAR: The removal of all enemy forces and the elmination of organized resistance within an assigned area.

CONTAIN: To stop, hold, or surround enemy forces of to cause them to center their activity on a given front and prevent them from withdrawing any part of their forces for use elswwhere.

COUNTERATTACK:  A form of attack by part or all of a defending force against an enemy attacking force,  with the general objective of denying the enemy his goal in attacking.

COVER: A form of security operations whose primary task is to protect the main body by fighting to gain time while also observing and reporting information and preventing enemy ground observation of and direct fire against the main body.

DELAY: To slow and defeat as much of the enemy as possible without sacrificing the tactical integrity of the unit;  presents low risk to the unit.

DESTROY: Physically renders and enemy force combat-ineffective until it is reconstituted. To destroy a combat system is to damage it so badly that it cannot perform any function or be restored to a usable condition without being entirely rebuilt.

DISRUPT: Integration of direct and indirect fires, terrain, and obstacles to upset an enemy formation or tempo, interrupt his timetable, or cause his forces to commit prematurely or attack in a piecemeal  fashion.

GUARD: A form of security operations whose primary task is to protect the main body by fighting to gain time while also observing and reporting information and preventing enemy gound observation of and direct fires against the main body. Units conducting a guard mission cannot operate independently because they rely upon fires and CS assets of the main body.

FIX: Preventing the enemy from moving any part of his force from a specific location for a specific period.

FOLLOW AND ASSUME: A second committed force follows a force conducting an offensive operation and is prepared to continue the mission if the lead force is fixed, attrited, or unable to continue.

FOLLOW AND SUPPORT: A committed force follows and supports a lead force conductng an offensive operation.

INFILTRATION: Entails movement through or into an area occupied by an enemy or friendly force by small groups or individuals at extended, irregular intervals in which contact with the enemy is avoided.

INTERDICT: To prevent, disrupt , or delay the enemy's use of an area or route.

ISOLATE: To seal off-both physically and psychologically-an enemy from his source of support, deny him freedom of movement, and prevent him from having contact with other enemy forces.

LANE: A route through an enemy or friendly obstacle that provides a passing force safe passage. The route may be reduced and proofed as part of a breach operation orconstructed as part of a friendly obstacle; a clear route that moves all the way through an obstacle.

MAIN EFFORT: The activity, unit, or area determined by the commander to be the most important task at the time.

NEUTRALIZE: Rendering enemy personnel or materiel incapable of interfering with a particular operation.

OCCUPY: Moving a friendly force into   an area so that it can control that area. both the force's movement to and occupation of the area occur without enemy opposition.

PENETRATE: A form of maneuver in which an attacking force seeks to rupture enemy defenses on a narrow front to disrupt the defensive system.

RELIEF IN PLACE: A tactical enabling operation in which, by the direction of higher authority, all or part of a unit is replaced in an area by the incoming unit.

RETAIN: A tactical mission task in which a terrain feature controlled by a friendly force remains free of enemy occupation or use.

RETIREMENT: A form of retrograde in which a force out of contact with the enemy moves away from the enemy.

SECURE: Involves preventing a unit, facility, or geographical location from being damaged or destroyed as a result of enemy action.

SECURITY OPERATIONS: Operations undertaken to provide early and accurate warning of enemy operations; to provide the force being protected with time and maneuver space within which to react  to the enemy, and to develop the situaton to allow the commander to effectively use the protected force.

SCREEN: A form of security operations that primarily provides early warning to the protected force.

SEIZE: A tactical mission task that involves taking possession of a designated area by using overwhelming force.

SUPPORT BY FIRE: A maneuver force moves to a position where it can engage the enemy by direct fire in support of another maneuvering force.

TURN: Involves forcing an enemy element from one avenue of approach or movement corridor to another.

WITHDRAW: A form of retrograde; a planned operation in which a force in contact disengages from an enemy force.

Compiled by Kenge!e 2003

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