text: Chapter 5
  lower echelon, a maneuver battalion constituting the advance guard of the main body of a BCT can use its
  scout platoon to conduct a zone reconnaissance that focuses on acquiring enemy positions and obstacles.
  5-52. The ability of units to anticipate an enemy force’s actions by gaining and maintaining contact with all
  significant parts of their opposing enemy forces—to include tracking enemy reserves, fire support, and
  follow-on forces—increases the security of attacking forces. Units seek to detect enemy attempts to shift
  major elements of defending enemy forces or launch a counterattack. They can prevent enemy reconnaissance
  assets from detecting major friendly force attacking movements by sending out a force to conduct zone
  reconnaissance with an on-order security mission. The risks to an enemy force increase when friendly forces
  impede or deny success to enemy collection assets. These factors result in providing attacking units with
  additional time to take advantage of changing situations. Moving within an enemy force’s decision cycle
  allows friendly units to take advantage of successes by transitioning to the tasks of exploitation and pursuit
  and to complete the enemy’s destruction.
  FIX THE ENEMY
  5-53. The purpose of fixing enemy forces is to prevent the enemy from repositioning within their battle zone.
  Every friendly move causes the enemy force to react. An enemy commander opposes friendly units
  attempting to fix enemy’s forces. Friendly units do everything possible to limit the options available to enemy
  forces. Fixing an enemy into a given position or COA and controlling the enemy force’s movements limit
  enemy options and reduce the amount of battlefield uncertainty and associated risk.
  5-54. Units seek to fix enemy forces with the minimum amount of combat power. Commanders normally
  allocate the bulk of their friendly combat power to forces conducting their main effort. Thus, fixing operations
  are supporting efforts. Therefore, units carefully consider which enemy elements to fix and target only those
  that can significantly affect the outcome of their operations. The longer the requirement to fix these forces,
  the more resources units need to accomplish the mission. Generally, the support force engages enemy forces
  so they cannot respond to the friendly main effort. This may require units to slow the rate of movement of
  selected enemy units to prevent them from influencing the outcome of the operation.
  5-55. Reducing uncertainty allows friendly forces to maneuver to mass the effects of overwhelming combat
  power against a portion of an enemy force. It gives units more time to modify their attack plan as necessary
  and synchronize their employment of friendly forces. It allows units to mass forces in one place by using
  economy of force measures in other areas. Units may also try to fix selected enemy units, such as the enemy
  reserve or follow-on force, to prevent them from repositioning or maneuvering against friendly forces
  conducting the main effort.
  5-56. Severing enemy lines of communications and main supply routes over prolonged periods by using
  interdiction measures is another way to fix enemy forces. These measures can range from air interdiction that
  destroys bridges and rail switching yards to ambushes of enemy resupply convoys conducted by infiltrating
  combat patrols.
  5-57. Another method of fixing enemy forces is to tie obstacles into the existing terrain to further canalize
  and slow the movement of enemy reserves. At lower tactical echelons, scatterable minefields can isolate
  objectives from possible enemy reinforcement or counterattacks and block or disrupt enemy actions to the
  flanks. Units can use tactical deception operations and activities, such as demonstrations and false preparation
  fires, to fix enemy forces. Using extensive obscuration and vehicle mockups in a tactical deception effort can
  also assist in fixing targeted enemy forces.
  5-58. Another method of isolating the objective is to use lethal and nonlethal effects. Lethal effects may
  range from sniper fire to a joint fire plan designed to destroy a selected portion of an enemy force. Nonlethal
  effects, such as electromagnetic warfare, can prevent enemy forces from receiving orders or vital intelligence
  and information or disrupt enemy fire control systems.
  FINISH THE ENEMY
  5-59. With the enemy force found and fixed, commanders maneuver subordinate forces to accomplish the
  mission. Units seek to avoid an enemy’s defensive strength by attacking through a point of relative weakness,
  such as a flank or rear.