Training for Full Spectrum Operations

The primary mission of the Army is to fight and win the Nation's wars. Conducting offensive and defensive operations has long been the Army's core capability. However, the recent experience of operations in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, coupled with today's operational environments, clearly indicates that the future will be an era of persistent conflict-one that will engage Army forces around the world to accomplish the Nation's objectives. This all points to the fact that the Army must adopt a new mindset that recognizes the requirement to successfully conduct operations across the spectrum of conflict, anytime, anywhere. FM 3-0 codified this forward looking paradigm shift in the Army's operational concept: Army forces combine offensive, defensive, and stability or civil support operations simultaneously as part of an interdependent joint force to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative, accepting prudent risk to create opportunities to achieve decisive results. They employ synchronized action?lethal and nonlethal- proportional to the mission and informed by a thorough understanding of all variables of the operational environment. Mission command that conveys intent and an appreciation of all aspects of the situation guides the adaptive use of Army forces.