text: Chapter 3
  Army Aviation Operations
  SECTION I – CORE COMPETENCIES
  3-1. Army Aviation conducts AGO as the aerial maneuver force of the combined arms team, or as an
  independent maneuver force in support of ground forces conducting offensive, defensive, stability, and
  DSCA operations. Regardless of the type of mission performed by the ground force, most aviation
  operations are offensive in nature and designed to provide an asymmetric advantage. Aviation operations
  are most effective when assets are task organized to correctly support the higher headquarters mission.
  3-2. All aviation operations are planned and executed according to the operations process. The methods
  for employing attack or reconnaissance units in section III are applicable to most Army Aviation
  operations. When evaluating options for employing Army Aviation, commanders balance the need for
  flexible and rapid response to a contingency against deliberate employment as a massed force. Mass
  enables the combined arms team to gain and maintain situational understanding; control operational tempo;
  achieve the element of surprise; seize, retain, and exploit the initiative; present the enemy with multiple
  dilemmas; gain positions of relative advantage over an enemy force; and/or prevent an enemy force from
  gaining a position of relative advantage. During the planning and preparation phases of a massed operation,
  commanders should provide subordinate units time to recover from previous missions or prepare for
  upcoming tasks; this may necessitate lapses or reductions in AGO depending on the amount of preparation
  required.
  3-3. The following are the seven core competencies of Army Aviation:
  * Provide accurate and timely information collection on the enemy, terrain, local populations and
  friendly forces.
  * Provide reaction time and maneuver space.
  * Destroy, defeat, disrupt, divert, or delay enemy forces.
  * Air assault ground maneuver forces.
  * Air movement personnel, equipment, and supplies.
  * Evacuate wounded or recover isolated personnel.
  * Enable C2 over extended ranges and complex terrain.
  3-4. These core competencies are executed through the following tactical, enabling, and sustaining tasks:
  movement to contact, attack, reconnaissance, security, air assault, C2 support, PR, air movement, and AE.
  For more information on the conduct of aviation operations, see ATP 3-04. 1.
  SECTION II – MOVEMENT TO CONTACT
  3-5. A movement to contact is an offensive task designed to develop the situation and establish or regain
  contact. It prevents the premature commitment of friendly combat power. Executing a movement to contact
  enables freedom of action to develop the situation and creates favorable conditions to conduct subsequent
  tactical or enabling tasks either by the force conducting the movement to contact or a follow-on main body
  force. The speed, range, lethality, long-range communications, and persistent reconnaissance capabilities of
  Army Aviation attack or reconnaissance units, using MUM-T, make them ideally suited to conduct
  movement to contact. Army Aviation executes movement to contact at the platoon to battalion or squadron
  level, either independently, or as a member of the combined arms team. In either case, the movement to
  contact is organized with the smallest acceptable security force forward to initially gain and maintain
  contact with the enemy and a separate force capable of developing the situation based on the size of the