text: Chapter 6
  Operations During Armed Conflict
  The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you
  can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.
  Ulysses S. Grant
  Section I of this chapter introduces large-scale combat operations and the ways in
  which they vary. It addresses topics applicable to both offensive and defensive
  operations, including enemy methods, relative advantages, integrating with the joint
  force, defeat mechanisms, and enabling operations. Section II describes defensive
  operations. Section III describes offensive operations. Section IV describes transition
  to post-conflict competition and stability operations.
  SECTION I – ARMED CONFLICT AND LARGE-SCALE COMBAT OPERATIONS
  6-1. Armed conflict encompasses the conditions of a strategic relationship in which opponents use lethal
  force as the primary means for achieving objectives and imposing their will on the other. The employment
  of lethal force is the defining characteristic of armed conflict, and it is the primary function of the Army.
  Lethality’s immediate effect is in the physical dimension—reducing the enemy’s capability and capacity to
  fight. However, the utility of lethal force extends into the information and human dimensions where it, along
  with the other instruments of national power, influence enemy behavior, decision making, and will to fight.
  6-2. During armed conflict, operations usually reflect combinations of conventional and irregular warfare
  approaches. Leaders apply doctrine for large-scale combat operations during limited contingencies that
  require conventional warfare approaches. Irregular warfare includes counterinsurgency and unconventional
  warfare, which other publications specifically address. The initial actions of large-scale combat operations
  will likely overlap with actions initiated during competition and crisis. For example, while some units are
  engaged in offensive or defensive operations, other units may be completing non-combat evacuations while
  in contact with enemy forces. (See FM 3-24 for detailed information about counterinsurgency. See
  ATP 3-05.1 for more information about unconventional warfare.)
  6-3. Large-scale combat operations are extensive joint combat operations in terms of scope and size of
  forces committed, conducted as campaigns aimed at achieving operational and strategic objectives through
  the application of force. Large-scale combat on land occurs within the framework of a larger joint campaign,
  usually with an Army headquarters forming the base of a joint force headquarters. These operations typically
  entail high tempo, high resource consumption, and high casualty rates. Large-scale combat introduces levels
  of complexity, lethality, ambiguity, and speed to military activities not common in other operations.
  6-4. Large-scale combat operations occur in circumstances usually associated with state-on-state conflict,
  and they encompass divisions and corps employing joint and Army capabilities from multiple domains in a
  combined arms manner. Irregular warfare activities often complement large-scale combat operations, with
  conventional, irregular, and special operations forces conducting operations close to each other. This
  proximity requires cooperation between friendly forces of all types to ensure success. In other cases, irregular
  warfare occurs largely in a secondary joint operations area (JOA) or another theater of operations. When this
  occurs, the combatant commander (CCDR) ensures sufficient coordination of operations to support unity of
  purpose at the national level.
  6-5. Successful large-scale combat operations defeat enemy armed forces while establishing control over
  land and populations to achieve operational and strategic objectives. They may capitalize on superior military
  capability to quickly overwhelm a weaker enemy and consolidate gains as part of a rapid campaign. Large