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Chapter 1 1-4 ADP 3-90 31 July 2019 employing the various elements of the combined arms team. A combined arms team is a team that uses combined arms—the synchronized and simultaneous application of arms to achieve an effect greater than if each element was used separately or sequentially (ADP 3-0). 1-22. Mastery of the science of tactics is necessary for leaders to understand physical and procedural constraints. These constraints include the effects from mission variables or the effects of rules of engagement on friendly and enemy force capabilities. SOLVING TACTICAL PROBLEMS 1-23. As a part of mastering the Army profession, leaders train for various tactical situations, learn to recognize their important elements, and practice decision making under realistic conditions. They develop these abilities through years of professional military education, self-study, practical training, and operational experiences. These experiences sharpen the intuitive faculties required to solve tactical problems. Repeated deployments to similar areas require examinations of previously successful operations to stay ahead of adaptive and learning enemies. 1-24. Leaders begin developing their foundation for solving tactical problems by mastering the science of the profession. This requires them to master the use of their systems and understand methods to employ terrain to their advantage. Leaders learn to communicate their concepts of operations clearly with technically precise and doctrinally consistent verbiage, using commonly understood and accepted doctrinal terms and concepts. 1-25. Commanders apply tactics, an understanding of the situation, and judgment to create unique solutions appropriate to accomplishing the mission and the other specific mission variables. Usually several solutions exist for one problem, and some will be more effective than others. An ideal solution is decisive and postures the unit for future missions, while also providing the greatest flexibility for response to unexpected enemy actions within the higher commander’s intent. 1-26. Success in tactical problem solving results from the aggressive, intelligent, and decisive use of relative combat power. Combat power is the total means of destructive, constructive, and information capabilities that a military unit or formation can apply at a given time (ADP 3-0). Combat power has eight elements: leadership, information, command and control, movement and maneuver, intelligence, fires, sustainment, and protection. The elements facilitate Army forces accessing joint and multinational fires and assets. The Army collectively describes the last six elements as warfighting functions. Commanders win by initiating combat on their own terms—at a time and place of their choosing—and by maintaining the initiative to make the enemy react. Commanders maintain the initiative to enable friendly forces to disrupt enemy decision making. This is particularly important during transitions between the offense and defense because retaining the initiative minimizes an enemy force’s ability to react effectively to changes in friendly dispositions. 1-27. Offensive action is the key to achieving decisive results. Commanders conduct the offense to defeat enemy forces or gain control of terrain to produce the effects required by their higher commander. Circumstances may require defending; however, tactical success normally requires shifting to the offense as soon as possible. The offense ends when forces accomplish their missions, reach their limit of advance (LOA), or approach culmination. Those forces then consolidate, resume the attack, or prepare for other operations. 1-28. Commanders seek to initiate combat on the most favorable terms. Doing so allows the massing of effects against selected enemy units in vulnerable locations. Maintaining the initiative allows a commander to shift the decisive operation to exploit opportunities as they arise. Commanders seize, retain, and exploit the initiative by—  Gaining a position of relative advantage (physical, temporal, cognitive, or virtual) over enemy forces by maneuvering more rapidly than enemy forces.  Employing firepower to destroy critical enemy capabilities and systems.  Conducting information operations, cyberspace operations, and electronic warfare activities to isolate and degrade enemy decision-making abilities.  Denying enemy forces what they require for success, such as terrain, airspace, population centers, support of the population, and facilities.