ADP 3-90, page 59

The Offense 31 July 2019 ADP 3-90 3-19  Redeploys artillery assets to ensure the support of security forces.  Redeploys forces for probable future employment.  Maintains or regains contact with adjacent units in a contiguous AO and ensures that units remain capable of mutual support when operating in noncontiguous AOs.  Shifts the engineer emphasis from mobility to countermobility and survivability.  Consolidates and reorganizes.  Explains the rationale for transitioning from the offense to the unit’s leaders and Soldiers. 3-120. Commanders conduct reorganization and resupply concurrently with other transition activities. This requires a change in the sustainment effort. It shifts emphasis from ensuring a force’s ability to move forward (including resupply of petroleum, oils, and lubricants, forward repair and maintenance, and replacing combat losses) to ensuring the force’s ability to defend at a chosen location. A transition is often a time when units can perform equipment maintenance. Additional assets may also be available for casualty evacuation and medical treatment because of a reduction in tempo. 3-121. It is difficult to transition to the defense without prior planning. Defensive preparations which are not deliberately prepared are hasty and almost always initially characterized by severe time and resource constraints. Forces establishing a hasty defense may be dispersed and lacking combat power due to losses. Moreover, the shift to the defense requires a psychological adjustment. Soldiers who have become accustomed to advancing must now halt and fight defensively on often unfavorable terms. 3-122. If a commander determines that it is necessary to stop an offensive operation and conduct a retrograde, subordinate units may conduct an area defense from their current locations until their activities can be synchronized to conduct the retrograde operation. The amount of effort expended in establishing an area defense depends on the prevailing mission variables. TRANSITION TO STABILITY OPERATIONS 3-123. At some point during an operation, units transition from one phase of the major operation or campaign plan to another and begin executing a sequel to their previous order the successful conduct of stability may be the decisive operation to a major operation or campaign. The transition to a focus on the conduct of stability from the conduct of the offense cannot be an afterthought. To assist in this transition to a stability focus, units continuously consolidate gains. Commanders actively consider activities necessary to consolidate gains while seeking to achieve their end state. It is the final exploitation of tactical success. 3-124. If a force achieves its objectives, and the situation makes focusing on defensive operations inappropriate, then commanders transition to a security and stability focus. The commander’s intent and concept of operations drives the design and planning for security and stability. Generally, commanders focus on meeting the minimum-essential stability tasks by providing security and ensuring the provision of essential food, water, shelter, and medical treatment services to the civilian inhabitants in their AO. This occurs in coordination with any existing civil institutions and nongovernmental organizations before addressing the other stability concerns. 3-125. During this period of transition, there is a significant risk to the legitimacy of the mission. There exists a vacuum in the lull between fighting and establishing a secure environment. This is generally a result of reconfiguring a force from an operational force to an occupation force. Each context has its own specific governing laws and rules of engagement. As the force transitions, threats seek to establish systems and networks that circumvent the nascent security environment. Threats can take advantage by prolonging the transition. Denying threats safe havens and accounting for all the former enemies’ combat resources enable friendly forces to limit the duration of this transitory period.