text: Chapter 2
  Information Operations and Decisive Action
  2-1. Unified land operations applies land power as part of unified action to defeat the threat on land and
  establish conditions that achieve the joint force commander’s end state. Combat power is the primary means
  by which Army forces apply land power. IO synchronization supports combat power by harnessing the
  information element to optimize the warfighting functions and leadership. In turn, this optimization enables
  commanders to seize the initiative through decisive action.
  2-2. Decisive action is the continuous, simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive, and stability or
  defense support of civil authorities tasks (ADRP 3-0). IO contributes to decisive action through the
  continuous and simultaneous combination and synchronization of IRCs in support of offense, defense, and
  stability tasks. IO itself is not offensive, defensive, or stabilizing, but contributes to all of these
  simultaneously by weighting its efforts in such a way that it achieves requisite effects in and through the
  information environment in support of the commander’s intent.
  2-3. To support decisive action effectively, the commander and staff undertake three enabling activities—
  analyze and depict the information environment, determine IRCs and IO organizations available, and
  optimize IRC effects. These activities start with understanding and visualizing the information environment
  in all its complexity. They progress to determining the array of IRCs and IO organizations available to affect
  the information environment. They culminate with optimizing IRC effects through effective planning,
  preparation, execution and assessment (see paragraphs 2-12 to 2-22 for a detailed discussion of these enabling
  activities).
  WEIGHTED EFFORTS
  2-4. IO weighted efforts are broad orientations used to focus the integration and synchronization of IRCs
  to create effects that seize, retain, and exploit the initiative in the information environment. Commanders,
  supported by their staffs, visualize and describe how IO will support the concept of operations by aligning
  and balancing the efforts of defend, attack, and stabilize with corresponding decisive action tasks as shown
  in figure 2-1 on page 2-2.
  IO WEIGHTED EFFORT: DEFEND
  2-5. When the IO effort necessitates a defend orientation, it seeks to create effects in the information
  environment that accomplish any one or combination of the following (not all inclusive):
  * Physical dimension.
  Locking or otherwise physically securing documents, equipment and infrastructure that
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  facilitate decision making.
  Protecting documents, equipment, and structures from destruction or degradation.
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  Protecting key personnel from attack or exploitation.
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  Using obscurants to mask movements.
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  * Informational dimension.
  Encrypting communications.
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  Preserving the free-flow of information and access to data and information sources.
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  Employing knowledge management principles.
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  Proactively identifying instances of social engineering or malware and keeping virus and
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  other protections current.
  Using forensics to determine sources of attack.
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