text: Sustainment Operations During Armed Conflict
  5-223. The maneuver commander establishes maintenance, recovery, and evacuation priorities and
  destruction criteria for inoperable equipment in the OPORD. Maintenance requirements generally overwhelm
  the organic capabilities of forward units during a retrograde operation. Forward units place as many
  maintenance, recovery, and evacuation assets forward as possible to augment or relieve combat elements of
  the burden of repairing unserviceable equipment. Recovery and evacuation vehicles position themselves at
  critical locations to keep disabled vehicles from blocking movement routes. Forward units use all available
  means to accomplish this, including using equipment transporters and armored vehicles with inoperative
  weapon systems. When recovery and evacuation are impossible, units destroy inoperable equipment to
  prevent capture. When possible, units destroy the same vital components in each type of system to prevent
  the enemy from rapidly exploiting captured friendly systems through battlefield cannibalization.
  5-224. The commander assigns transportation priorities for the movement of combat troops and their
  supplies, the movement of obstacle materials to impede the enemy, and the evacuation of casualties and
  repairable equipment. The commander keeps main supply routes open and decontaminated as necessary.
  Units control the back-haul of transportation assets before the retrograde begins, reducing the amount of
  transportation needed to support the operation. Tasking of and coordination with movement control units for
  road usage or de-confliction during retrograde operations is critical to ensure the retrograde is not hindered
  by uncoordinated or conflicting unit movement on available routes.
  5-225. Commanders designate and reserve routes for flow of dislocated civilians to mitigate interference and
  enable freedom of action, retaining use of the unit’s main supply routes as much as possible.
  5-226. Assignment of medical evacuation precedence is necessary. The precedence provides the supporting
  medical unit and controlling headquarters with information to use in determining priorities for committing
  their evacuation assets. For this reason, correct assignment of precedence cannot be overemphasized; over
  classification has often been an issue during operations. Patients are evacuated as quickly as possible,
  consistent with available resources and pending missions. Medical elements supporting the retrograding force
  must provide rapid evacuation of casualties to medical facilities. Medical evacuation requirements are
  especially demanding in the large AOs common to the retrograde. Commanders may augment the ground
  ambulance capabilities of supporting forward medical units.
  5-227. Military police elements are involved primarily in security and mobility support operations to support
  and preserve the commander’s freedom of movement. This includes enabling logistics operations in contested
  environments through the conduct of area security and logistics security. For additional information, see FM
  3-39. The commander may augment supporting military police forces to establish traffic control posts and
  route and convoy security. Military police also provide support through the execution of detainee and
  dislocated civilian operations.
  5-228. Finance companies can send the workload from commercial vendor services and other functions back
  to units outside the immediate AO for processing. Payments and disbursements done remotely can be
  effective if needed during large-scale defensive operations and mobile defense. For additional details, see
  ADP 4-0 and FM 1-06.
  SUSTAINMENT SUPPORT DURING RETROGRADE
  5-229. The sustainment mission of a retrograde typically requires the sustainment of forces engaging the
  enemy, the organized movement away from the enemy, and the protection of sustainment capabilities and
  resources in echeloned support. Regardless of the type of retrograde, all echelons of sustainment must have
  contingency plans to ensure an uninterrupted flow of support to the maneuver units tactically employed in
  defensive combat while at the same time displacing and/or preparing to displace the supporting unit. Plan for
  heavy equipment transportation assets to support retrograde operations.
  5-230. During retrograde operations, sustainment units echelon their movements to maintain adequate
  support to the committed force. Sustainment units also maintain maximum dispersion consistent with control
  and local security. Their goal is to provide uninterrupted support and maximum protection during the time it
  takes to conduct the retrograde operation. By echeloning support, the commander reduces the amount of time
  each sustainment unit spends moving, preventing it from performing its primary support tasks. To reduce
  congestion and interference with the operations of combat, functional, and multifunctional support units, the
  commander should displace supporting sustainment assets as early as possible—normally during periods of