ADP 3-90, page 50

Chapter 3 3-10 ADP 3-90 31 July 2019 temporary partial mental paralysis that an individual or a unit can experience after a sudden upsetting or surprising event and that prevents an immediate effective response to that event. 3-58. Seizing or retaining terrain that provides advantages to friendly force maneuver allows commanders to gain and maintain positions of relative advantage. For military purposes, terrain includes physical (geographic) and non-physical (virtual and cognitive) components. Commanders and staffs include the cognitive and virtual considerations of an operational environment when describing terrain. Terrain that is of importance to commanders is described as key or decisive terrain. Key terrain is an identifiable characteristic whose seizure or retention affords a marked advantage to either combatant. Decisive terrain is key terrain whose seizure and retention is mandatory for successful mission accomplishment. If decisive terrain is present, commanders designate it to communicate its importance in the commander’s concept of operations, first to the echelon staff and later to subordinate commanders. Armored and Stryker Forces 3-59. Armored and Stryker units provide inherent mobility capabilities. Armored units provide firepower and protection at the cost of heavy sustainment requirements and limitations in restrictive terrain. Stryker units provide firepower and great mobility out of contact, but they lack protection against many anti-armor systems. Both types can operate in CBRN contaminated environments because of their built-in collective CBRN protection systems. Each has capabilities that, when applied correctly, place a defending enemy force in a position of disadvantage. Armored and Stryker units can employ any of the forms of maneuver that are situationally appropriate, although the use of the envelopment tends to provide the greatest payoff. Armored units are particularly effective when conducting mobile combat against enemy forces in open terrain. Stryker units use terrain to maneuver outside of direct fire range and then employ their infantry to close with the enemy. The combat vehicles in these forces allow commanders to rapidly maneuver subordinate forces to positions of advantage against defending enemy forces and then immediately move to other locations to disrupt the integrity of an enemy’s defense. Dismounted Infantry Forces 3-60. Dismounted infantry forces are best suited for the offense in complex terrain. Dismounted infantry forces employ any forms of maneuver to secure objectives and achieve exploitable positions of advantage over an enemy force. Those positions of advantage may allow follow-on armored and Stryker forces to exploit that success, or they may block enemy counterattacking forces. Dismounted infantry forces can conduct air assaults, providing a division commander with a rapidly deployable force. Any application of dismounted infantry requires considerations for protection and supporting systems. Rotary-Wing Aviation and Unmanned Aircraft Systems 3-61. Army aviation units conduct air-ground operations as the aviation maneuver force of the combined arms team. Army aviation units increase the combat power, agility, flexibility, and survivability of the entire combined arms team. 3-62. During offensive operations, aviation units and systems normally integrate into the scheme of maneuver and are given missions similar to those of ground maneuver units. Aviation forces conduct attacks, air assaults, and reconnaissance. They can deploy aerial minefields and conduct security operations. Attack helicopters are most effective in conditions of limited visibility against exposed enemy forces on the move. They are less effective against enemy forces in prepared defensive positions. 3-63. Unmanned aircraft systems conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, and information collection in areas where there may be excessive risk to manned aircraft. Commanders can employ some types of unmanned aircraft systems as attack assets. These systems work effectively with manned aircraft and when supporting indirect fires to increase the depth and breadth of aviation reconnaissance and maneuver. The longer unmanned systems loiter over a reconnaissance objective, the greater their ability to gain and maintain enemy contact. (See FM 3-04 for additional information on the employment of Army aviation in the offense.)