text: The Offense
  detailed medical planning. Units consider several other variables that ensure the success of mass casualty
  response plans. These include, but are not limited to—
  * The coordination and synchronization of additional medical support or augmentation, such as
  medical evacuation support, forward resuscitative surgical intervention provided by forward
  resuscitative and surgical detachments, combat support and field hospitals, casualty collection
  points, ambulance exchange points, and established Class VIII resupply.
  * Quick location and evacuation of injured personnel from the battlefield.
  * Providing effective tactical combat casualty care and emergency medical treatment for injured
  personnel.
  * Continuous flow of casualties to medical treatment facilities at the next higher role of care.
  * Use of casualty evacuation assets when the number of casualties overwhelms the capacity of the
  medical evacuation system.
  * Accurate triage and rapid medical evacuation of injured personnel to medical treatment facilities
  at the next higher role of care.
  * Planning of MEDEVAC routes (ground and air) along with contingencies during times of
  hazardous trafficability.
  * MEDAVAC capacity is rarely sufficient, and units must designate casualty evacuation capability
  within their formations.
  PROTECTION WARFIGHTING FUNCTION
  3-43. Protection prevents or mitigates detection, threat effects, and hazards to preserve combat power and
  enable freedom of action. To help preserve the force, units ensure they address all protection tasks during the
  unit’s planning, preparation, and execution, while also constantly assessing the effectiveness of those
  protection tasks. In the offense, protection is applied carefully and selectively to ensure that it does not hinder
  a unit’s freedom of action. This is accomplished through protection integration and synchronization where
  and when significant threats and hazards are projected in the offensive plan. The fluidity and rapid tempo of
  the offense poses challenges when protecting friendly assets to deny enemy forces the ability to interfere with
  friendly force operations.
  3-44. Protection is a key consideration at every echelon and all military activities have some inherent or
  organic protection capability (such as survivability, antiterrorism measures, local security). Higher echelons
  employ protection systems to enable lower echelon maneuver and deny enemy forces the ability to interfere
  with subordinate forces’ ongoing operations. Lower echelons use reconnaissance and security forces to
  protect forward maneuver forces and exposed flanks. At the lowest tactical levels, units use deception, cover,
  concealment, and dispersion to counter threat capabilities and preserve critical capabilities, assets, and
  activities. (See ADP 3-37 for information on protection tasks).
  Air and Missile Defense
  3-45. A ground force’s primary air defense systems are its organic weapons to defend against short-range air
  threats, supported by joint fighter aircraft conducting offensive and defensive counterair operations. The joint
  force may not have air superiority or even air parity. Units weigh the air threat with their ability to mitigate
  the threat when considering options for offensive operations. During offensive actions, units direct the
  positioning of available organic or supporting radars in those locations where they can best initially support
  the unit’s attack. The selection of those positions reflects a risk assessment designed to preclude their early
  loss to enemy action. The air defense airspace management (known as ADAM) cell in the echelon staff
  communicates with the appropriate air and missile defense (AMD) command post. That AMD command post
  provides additional information to the supported unit to expand the fidelity of the air picture, including
  information on engaged air threats by the joint force air component unit, Army Patriot air defense systems,
  and short-range air defense. The attacking unit concentrates on conducting passive protection measures
  during its offensive actions. If attacked by enemy aerial systems in assembly areas, attack positions, or while
  moving, the unit disperses and conducts small-arms air defense. Units at each echelon establish air defense
  priorities based on the concept of operations, scheme of maneuver, air situation, and air defense priorities
  established by higher headquarters. If units have Army air defense systems supporting their attack, they
  generally weight that coverage toward their main efforts and establish protective corridors over terrain