text: Chapter 4
  4-56. Consolidating gains initially focuses on the exploitation of tactical success to ensure enemy forces
  cannot reconstitute any form of resistance in areas where they were initially defeated, or that enemy forces
  have not successfully conducted a deception operation to create a friendly force vulnerability or achieve a
  position of relative advantage. While the deep and close areas of the operational framework are important,
  the rear area has a special importance during consolidating gains due to bypassed, stay-behind, or infiltrated
  enemy forces; airborne, air assault, or special operations forces; terrorist cells; guerilla, partisan, or insurgent
  forces; the use of chemical weapons; or an effective combination of these forces and capabilities can
  significantly degrade friendly force operations. The impact of these types of threat operations can create
  crippling logistics, C2, civil population, and worldwide and U.S. public opinion issues.
  4-57. Army forces must continuously consolidate gains to make temporary gains enduring. Like many
  activities, success is far more likely when the intelligence effort is carefully integrated and synchronized with
  operations. Typical operational functions and their reporting intelligence requirements include—
  ⚫ Locating bypassed enemy forces, bypassed or abandoned munitions and weapons, and stay-
  behind special purpose and proxy forces.
  ⚫ Populace and resource control measures.
  ⚫ Reestablishing law and order.
  ⚫ Providing humanitarian assistance.
  ⚫ Restoring key infrastructure.
  4-58. When consolidating gains during armed conflict, the role of intelligence is vital in assessing relevant
  aspects of the OE, including but not limited to—
  ⚫ Detecting both positive and negative trends.
  ⚫ Discrediting disinformation and misinformation.
  ⚫ Determining the effectiveness of friendly operations.
  ⚫ Identifying actions that could threaten hard-won gains.
  ⚫ Assisting with the difficult transitions between offensive, defensive, and stability operations and
  the transition to post-conflict competition.
  TRANSITIONS BETWEEN OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, AND STABILITY OPERATIONS
  4-59. A main goal of defensive operations is defeating the enemy’s attacks and transition, or threaten to
  transition, to the offense. Units must deliberately plan for transitions to identify and establish the necessary
  friendly and enemy conditions for a successful transition. As friendly forces meet their defensive objectives,
  forces consolidate and reorganize for offensive operations or prepare to facilitate forward passages of lines
  for fresh formations. Units should do everything possible to prevent enemy forces from reinforcing their
  forward echelons, consolidating, or reorganizing while friendly forces prepare for follow-on operations.
  4-60. Intelligence is critical to supporting the commander and staff as they—
  ⚫ Assess when they have enough combat power to maintain pressure on the enemy.
  ⚫ Identify opportunities to complete the defeat of enemy formations in order to reduce the risk of
  future casualties fighting the same enemy formations after recovery.
  ⚫ Assess the effects of battle on enemy forces relative to their own unit.
  4-61. When offensive operations culminate before enemy forces are defeated, friendly forces rapidly
  transition to the defense. Commanders may deliberately transition to the defense when enemy forces are
  incapable of fully exploiting an opportunity, or when they believe they can build combat power to resume
  the offense before enemy forces can react effectively. Depending on where culmination occurs, friendly
  forces may have to reposition forces on defensible terrain and develop a form of defense and scheme of
  maneuver based on an assessment of the mission variables (METT-TC [I]).
  4-62. Successful offensive operations end because Army forces have achieved their assigned objectives. A
  successful offense can also require a transition to a defensive posture dominated by stability operations and
  a strategic environment moving toward post-conflict political goals. These operations have the goal of
  transitioning responsibility for security and governance to legitimate authorities other than U.S. forces.