text: Chapter 2
  base may be joint or single Service, and it will routinely support both U.S. and multinational forces and
  interagency partners. Commanders designate a specific area as a base or base camp and assign responsibility
  to a single commander for protection, terrain management, and day-to-day operations. Basing is always a
  critical consideration when arranging operations at any echelon, because bases directly support or
  determine—
  * The joint and multinational force’s proximity to an operational area.
  * The force’s reach and endurance.
  * The depth the force can achieve.
  * How quickly the force can generate, apply, converge, and reconstitute combat power.
  2-36. Bases exist both in the U.S. and in foreign nations, and they may be temporary or permanent. Types of
  bases include installations, base camps, intermediate staging bases, forward operating bases, and lodgments.
  Units located in the base or base camp are under the TACON of the base or base camp commander for base
  security and defense. In large echelon support areas or joint security areas (JSAs), controlling commanders
  may designate base clusters for mutual protection and to exercise command and control. When a base camp
  expands to include clusters of sustainment, headquarters, and other supporting units, echelon commanders
  may designate a support area. These specific areas of operations facilitate the positioning, employment, and
  protection of resources required to sustain, enable, and control operations. Army forces typically rely on a
  mix of bases and base camps to serve as intermediate staging bases, lodgments, and forward operating bases.
  (See JP 3-34 and ATP 3-37.10 for more information on base camps.)
  Risk
  It is my experience that bold decisions give the best promise of success. But one must
  differentiate between strategical or tactical boldness and a military gamble. A bold
  operation is one in which success is not a certainty but which in case of failure leaves one
  with sufficient forces in hand to cope with whatever situation may arise. A gamble, on the
  other hand, is an operation which can lead either to victory or to the complete destruction
  of one’s force.
  Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
  2-37. Risk, uncertainty, and chance are inherent in all military operations. Success during operations depends
  on a willingness to identify, mitigate, and accept risk to create opportunities. When considering how much
  risk to accept, commanders consider risk to the force and risk to the mission. Commanders need to balance
  the tension between protecting the force and accepting risks that must be taken to accomplish their mission.
  They apply judgment with regard to the importance of an objective, the time available, and the anticipated
  cost.
  2-38. The mission command approach requires that commanders and subordinates accept risk, exercise
  initiative, and act decisively, even when the outcome is uncertain. Commanders focus on creating
  opportunities rather than simply preventing defeat—even when preventing defeat appears safer. Reasonably
  estimating and intentionally accepting risk is not gambling. Gambling is making a decision in which the
  commander risks the force without a reasonable level of information about the outcome. Therefore,
  commanders avoid gambles. Commanders carefully determine risks, analyze and minimize as many hazards
  as possible, and then accept risks to accomplish the mission.
  2-39. Inadequate planning and preparation put forces at risk, as does delaying action while waiting for perfect
  intelligence and synchronization. Reasonably estimating and intentionally accepting risk is fundamental to
  successful operations. Experienced commanders balance audacity and imagination against risk and
  uncertainty to strike in a manner, place, and time unexpected by enemy forces. This is the essence of surprise.
  Planning should identify risks to mission accomplishment. Part of developing an operational approach
  includes answering the question, “What is the chance of failure or unacceptable consequences in employing
  the operational approach?” Risk decisions range from ways to address resource shortfalls to when to
  transition the force or parts of the force to the consolidation of gains. Staffs communicate identified risks to
  higher echelon headquarters, and the commander’s planning guidance provides risk mitigation guidance.