text: FM 7-100.1________________________________________________________________________________
  of the AOR. They may be designated by a senior commander in order to focus
  combat power.
  Objectives and Axes
  3-45. An objective is a geographic location or physical object, the seizing
  and/or holding of which is a goal of an offensive operation.1 An axis is a con-
  trol measure showing the location through which a force will move as it pro-
  ceeds from its starting location to its objective.
  ORGANIZING FORCES FOR THE OFFENSE
  3-46. In planning and executing offensive actions, the OPFOR organizes and
  designates various forces according to their function. This provides a common
  language for how the OPFOR fights functionally, rather than geometrically.
  The functions do not change, regardless of where the force might happen to
  be located on the battlefield. Thus, functional forces that perform the common
  operational and tactical tasks of disrupting, fixing, assaulting, exploiting,
  providing security, and deceiving are logically designated as disruption, fix-
  ing, assault, exploitation, security, and deception forces, respectively. A force
  held in reserve is designated as a reserve, until it receives a mission to per-
  form a specific function.
  3-47. In his operation plan, the operational-level commander specifies the
  organization of the forces within his level of command. Thus, subordinate
  forces understand their roles within the overall operation. However, the or-
  ganization of forces can shift dramatically during the course of an operation,
  if part of the plan does not work or works better than anticipated. For exam-
  ple, a unit that started out being part of a fixing force might split off and be-
  come an exploitation force, if the opportunity presents itself.
  3-48. Each of the separate functional forces has an identified commander.
  This is often the senior commander of the largest subordinate unit assigned
  to that force. For example, if two DTGs are acting as the OSC’s fixing force,
  the senior of the two DTG commanders is the fixing force commander. Since,
  in this option, each force commander is also a subordinate unit commander,
  he controls the force from his unit’s command post (CP). Another option is to
  have one of the OSC’s or FG’s CPs be in charge of a functional force. For ex-
  ample, the forward CP could control a disruption force or a fixing force. An-
  other possibility would be for the IFC CP to command the disruption force or
  the exploitation force or any other force whose actions must be closely coordi-
  nated with fires delivered by the IFC.
  3-49. In any case, the force commander is responsible to the OSC or FG
  commander to ensure that combat preparations are made properly and to
  take charge of the force during the operation. This frees the operational-level
  commander from decisions specific to the force’s mission. Even when tactical-
  level subordinates of an OSC or FG have responsibility for parts of the dis-
  ruption zone, there is still an overall OSC or FG disruption force commander.
  1 The term objective may also refer to the defined aim(s) of a particular operation. It is not always tied to ground or
  places. It could be a desired effect on a particular enemy formation or capability.