JP 3-0, page 109

Joint Operations Across the Range of Military Operations V-3 supporting forces through subordinate and supporting JFCs to achieve national, theater, and/or multinational strategic objectives. Due to the transnational nature of various enemies or adversaries (e.g., insurgents, terrorists, drug cartels, pirates), coordination and synchronization requirements may also extend to adjacent GCCs. Additionally, CCDRs and subordinate JFCs must work with US chiefs of mission, Department of State (DOS), and other departments and agencies to best integrate military actions with the diplomatic, economic, and informational instruments of national power in unified action. (2) Some military operations may be conducted for one purpose. FHA operations, for example, are military operations with a humanitarian purpose. A strike may be conducted for the specific purpose of compelling action or deterrence (such as Operation EL DORADO CANYON, the 1986 operation to coerce Libya to conform with international laws against terrorism). Often, however, military operations will have multiple purposes and be influenced by a fluid and changing situation. Branch and sequel events may require additional tasks by the joint force, challenging the command with multiple missions (e.g., Operations PROVIDE COMFORT and RESTORE HOPE were peace enforcement operations [PEO] that evolved from FHA efforts). Joint forces must strive to meet such challenges with clearly defined objectives addressing diverse purposes. SECTION A. TYPES OF MILITARY OPERATIONS 2. Military Operations and Related Missions, Tasks, and Actions a. In general, a military operation is a set of actions intended to accomplish a task or mission. Although the US military is organized, trained, and equipped for sustained, large-scale combat anywhere in the world, the capabilities to conduct these operations also enable a wide variety of other operations as well. No two military operations are exactly alike. Characterizing the employment of military capabilities (people, organizations, and equipment) as one or another type of military operations has several benefits. For example, publications can be developed that describe the nature, tasks, and tactics associated with specific types of diverse operations, such as noncombatant evacuation and counterinsurgency. These publications provide the bases for related joint training and joint professional military education that help joint forces conduct military operations as effectively and efficiently as possible even in difficult and dangerous circumstances. Characterizations also help military and civilian leaders explain US military involvement in various situations to the US and international public and news media in order to minimize misinterpretation of purpose. Likewise, such characterizations, supplemented by operational experience, can clarify the need for specific capabilities that enhance certain operations. For example, facial recognition software associated with biometric capabilities helps military and law enforcement personnel identify terrorists and piece together their human networks as part of combating terrorism (see JP 3-07.2, Antiterrorism). The titles of many operations (such as NEO) listed as “types” in the following paragraph describe the operation’s focused task or mission. In some cases (such as stability operations), the title covers a variety of missions, tasks, and activities.