text: Operations During Armed Conflict
  Applying Mutual Support
  6-39. Commanders consider mutual support when task-organizing forces, assigning land areas, and
  positioning units. A high degree of mutual support between units provides flexibility and options to
  commanders and creates multiple dilemmas for enemy forces. When units can support each other,
  commanders have more options to combine capabilities from all warfighting functions and across all
  domains. Commanders and staffs assess supporting range of capabilities between units to understand their
  options with respect to mutual support and reducing the vulnerability of friendly forces to defeat in detail.
  Air capabilities and indirect fires have long ranges that provide options for increasing the supporting range
  between units.
  6-40. Supporting distance depends on the mobility of the formation, the terrain, and the enemy situation.
  When units operate outside weapons ranges, they may be able to maneuver from supporting distances to
  enable each other. Infantry units may be able to maneuver a short supporting distance to enable an armored
  formation in severely restrictive terrain. A combat aviation brigade may be in supporting distance to aid an
  infantry brigade isolated from the rest of the division. When units must operate in a widely distributed
  manner, commanders and staffs position reserves so that they can maneuver in support of multiple formations
  depending on the situation.
  6-41. Units are not within supporting distance regardless of their proximity to each other if they cannot
  communicate or are fixed by enemy forces. When units share a common operational picture (COP), relative
  proximity is less important than the ability to coordinate maneuver and fires. Exploiting the advantage of
  mutual support requires that units synchronize maneuver and fires more effectively than enemy forces do.
  6-42. Large-scale operations involving both conventional and special operations forces require the
  integration and synchronization of conventional and special operations efforts. The JTF commander must
  consider the different capabilities and limitations of both conventional and special operations forces,
  particularly in the areas of C2 and sustainment. Exchanging liaison elements between conventional and
  special operations staffs further integrates efforts of all forces concerned. (For more information on
  coordinating conventional and special operations forces, see FM 6-05.)
  6-43. Commanders assign subordinate units noncontiguous areas when the situation requires, either because
  the intent is to move along dispersed axes of advance or to minimize detection in locations like rear areas.
  When this occurs, the higher headquarters retains responsibility for the risk associated with the unassigned
  areas and mitigates that risk with capabilities it controls. As long as friendly forces have the initiative and
  can force the enemy to react, large units operating in non-contiguous areas are able to protect their lines of
  communication and can provide advantages at acceptable risk. However, risk to non-contiguous forces
  increases quickly the longer they become static, particularly in their rear areas. Large AOs with limited
  numbers of forces, and maritime environments where operations occur across groups of small islands are
  conditions that require non-contiguous assigned areas.
  6-44. Joint capabilities can mitigate risk when subordinate units operate in noncontiguous areas of operations
  beyond supporting range or supporting distance of other ground forces. However, depending on joint
  capabilities outside an Army commander’s direct control entails the risk that those capabilities may not be
  available due to enemy activity, weather, or higher JFC priorities. (See Chapter 3 for more information on
  mutual support. See Chapter 8 for more information on non-contiguous assigned areas in maritime
  environments.)
  Integrating Echelons
  6-45. Describing echelon roles and responsibilities in
  time, space, and purpose makes operations more cohesive Providing proper focus enables subordinate
  through the depth of an operational area where enemy initiative while allowing higher headquarters
  formations and irregular forces are intermingled with to employ their limited capabilities to
  friendly forces. Intermingling of forces increases greatest effect.
  complexity and make it difficult to retain unity of effort
  between echelons. Commanders and staffs integrate the operations of all echelons to ensure that they accrue
  advantages and accomplish objectives.