text: Chapter 6
  making expedient repairs to roads,trails,and ford sites may travel with the advance guard during a movement
  to contact. The combat engineers’ purpose is to ensure that the advance guard and main body during a
  movement to contact, or an assault force during an attack remain mobile. (SeeATP 3-34.22 for additional
  information.)
  6-32. Mobility planning based upon the mission variables of METT-TC includes identifying requirements
  for military police support and augmentation. Military police contribute to the maneuver and mobility by—
  (cid:122) Preserving the freedom of movement over main supply routes (see ATP 3-39.10).
  (cid:122) Improving the protection of high-risk personnel and facilities during security and mobility (see
  ATP 3-39.30).
  (cid:122) Providing temporarydetention operations (see FM 3-63) for detained individuals.
  (cid:122) Integrating police intelligence through operations (see ATP 3-39.20) to enhance situational
  understanding,protection,civil control,and law enforcement efforts.
  (cid:122) Providing military working dogs (patrol explosive detection dog) support to route clearance (see
  ATP3-39.34).
  6-33. The BCT provost marshal is responsible for requesting and coordinating military police assets and
  activities for the BCT. Mobility planning should integrate the security and mobility support discipline to
  support the BCT, when required, with a distribution of military police forces throughout the area of
  operations. (SeeFM 3-39 for additional information.)
  PASSAGE OF LINES
  6-34. Apassage of linesis an operation in which a force moves forward or rearward through another force’s
  combat positions with the intention of moving into or out of contact with the enemy (JP 3-18). Maneuver
  forces conduct passage of lines when at least one of the mission variables of METT-TC does not permit the
  bypass of a friendly unit. A passage of lines is a complex operation requiring close supervision and detailed
  planning,coordination,and synchronization between the commander of the unit conducting the passage and
  the unit being passed.A passage of lines occurs under two conditions:
  (cid:122) A forward passage of lines occurs when a unit passes through another unit’s positions while
  moving toward the enemy (ADP 3-90).
  (cid:122) A rearward passage of lines occurs when a unit passes through another unit’s positions while
  moving away from the enemy (ADP 3-90).
  6-35. BCT units conduct a passage of lines to sustain the tempo of an offensive operation or to transfer
  responsibility from one unit to another to maintain the viability of the defense. Units also conduct passage of
  lines to transition from a delay or security operation by one force to a defense or to free a unit for another
  mission or task. A passage of lines involves transferring the responsibility for an area of operation between
  two commanders. That transfer of authority usually occurs when roughly two-thirds of the passing force has
  moved through the passage pointor on meeting specific conditions agreed to by the commanders of the unit
  conducting the passage and the unit being passed.
  MOVEMENTFORMATIONS
  6-36. A movement formation is an ordered arrangement of forces for a specific purpose and describes the
  general configurationof a unit on the ground (ADP 3-90). The sevenmovementformations are column,line,
  echelon (left or right),box,diamond,wedge,and vee.
  6-37. Movementformations are threat-or terrain-based. The BCT may use more than one formation within
  a given movement,especially if the terrain or enemy situationchanges during a movement. For example,a
  battalion may use the column formation during the passage of lines and then change to another formation
  such as the wedge. Companies within the battalion formation may conduct movement-using formations
  different from that of the battalion. For example, one company may be in a wedge, another in an echelon
  right,and yet another in a column. Other factors,such as the distance of the move or enemy dispositions may
  prompt the commander to use more than one formation.Distances between units are METT-TC dependent.