The Army does not fight alone. It integrates its efforts within the theater commander's unified operations along with the other services, other national agencies, and often allied and coalition forces. By doing so, the Army's operational capabilities are enhanced, victory comes quicker, and friendly casualties are reduced. The capabilities described below are essential to success on the battlefield. ...

Army forces depend on space-based systems in joint and combined operations. Space-based systems offer significant political and technical advantages to force-projection operations, allowing quick access to certain capabilities without concern for national boundary restrictions. ...

Interdiction destroys enemy forces, delays and disrupts their maneuver, and diverts their resources from the main effort. Interdiction is a means to direct combat power simultaneously throughout the depth of enemy forces and hasten enemy loss of initiative and ultimate destruction. Effective interdiction occurs when it is synchronized with maneuver to support the concept of operation of a single commander. ...

A primary consideration in employing joint forces is gaining and maintaining the freedom of action to conduct operations against the enemy. Control of the air gives commanders the freedom to conduct successful attacks that can neutralize or destroy an enemy's warfighting potential. A continuous effort exists to gain and maintain the capability to use the enemy's airspace to perform combat missions and to deny the enemy the use of friendly airspace. Control of the air enables land forces to execute operations without interference from an enemy's air forces. Without this control, tactical flexibility is lessened. Ground commanders must have access to sufficient airspace to employ Army helicopters, drones, and airborne sensors. ...

• Strategic Attack: Strategic attacks are carried out against an enemy's center of gravity, which may include national command elements, war production assets, and supporting infrastructure (for example, energy, transportation, and communications assets). ...
• Counterair: The objective of counterair operations is to gain control of the air environment ... The ultimate goal of counterair is to control the airspace to allow commanders to execute their operational plans. The three types of ... operations that establish and maintain air superiority are offensive counterair, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), and defensive counterair. ...
• Air Interdiction: Air interdiction (AI) missions delay, disrupt, or destroy an enemy's military potential before it can be brought to bear effectively against friendly forces. AI can greatly benefit ongoing Army deep operations when synchronizcd with Army interdiction efforts. ...
• Close Air Support: Close air support (CAS) missions support land operations by attacking hostile targets close to friendly ground forces. CAS can support offensive operations with preplanned or immediate attacks ... CAS can also protect the flanks of friendly forces, blunt enemy offensives, enhance economy-of-force operations, and protect the rear of land forces during retrograde operations. ...

Operations in the maritime and littoral environment contribute to gaining and maintaining freedom of action, just as do air operations. Sea control gives commanders the freedom to project power through the strategic and operational movement of forces by sea, to protect SLOCs, to secure littoral areas from sea-based threats, and to execute air and land operations from the sea. Maritime functions that contribute to land operations are sea control and power projection. ...

• Sea Control: The purpose of sea control operations is to gain control of defined sea areas in the air, on the surface, and under the surfacc. Ultimately the purpose of sea control operations is to gain and maintain sea supremacy. Naval forces perform antiair warfare, anti­submarine warfare, and antisurface ship tasks in sea control operations. ...
• Power Projection: Power projection supports air and land operations ashore through the application of offensive naval capabilities. These includc carricr­based aircraft, amphibious assault forces, naval bombardment, and fleet ballistic and cruise missiles. Attacks from the sea to gain early entry or to support forces ashore can combine Army, Marine Corps, and Navy capabilities in both fire and maneuver throughout the contested battle space. ...

Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps surveillance and reconnaissance efforts are a part of national intelligence gathering and the systematic observation process. These missions are affected to collect information from airborne, space-based, surface-based, and subsurface sensors. Surveillance and reconnaissance operations provide a wide variety of information necessary to the development of national security policy, force posture, planning actions, force employment, and informed responses in times of crisis. ...

Army forces depend upon airlift and sealift to project their capabilities into the theater of operations and to sustain themselves throughout the assigned mission. They are critical elements of the Army's force­projection strategy. Airlift provides quick insertion and limited capability to move supplies and equipment for Army elements. Sealift provides the movement of large tonnages of supplies, heavy equipment, and weapons systems over the length of a campaign. Sealift also allows for the projection of power through amphibious landings and transport to ports within or adjacent to the theater of operations. ...

Special operations are actions conducted by specially organized, trained, and equipped military and paramilitary forces to achieve military, diplomatic, economic, or psychological objectives by unconventional means. US SOF consist of Army, Navy, and Air Force units. Special operations occur frequently in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive areas across the full range of Army operations. In operations other than war, they may substitute for the commitment of general-purpose military forces. ...

... The five principal missions of special operations are unconventional warfare, direct actions, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, and counterterrorism. In addition, SOF may participate in collateral activities of security assistance, humanitarian assistance, antiterrorism, counterdrug operations, personnel recovery , and special activities with other components. ...

• Naval Special Warfare Forces: NSW forces support the requirements of sea control and power projection of theater conventional naval forces. Sea-air-Iand (SEAL) teams, SEAL delivery vehicle teams, special boat units, and NSW units comprise NSW groups. NSW forces conduct direct action, special reconnaissance, coastal patrol and interdiction, and beach intelligence for amphibious landings, in addition to foreign internal defense, counterterrorism, and military training with other nations. ...
• Air Force Special Operations Forces: AFSOF provide aircraft for a variety of SOF missions: infiltrating, ex filtrating, and resupplying SOF; aerial refueling; PSYOP; and fire support. ...
• Army Special Operations Forces: ARSOF have five types of units: Special Forces (SF), rangers, Army special operations aviation, PSYOP, and civil affairs (CA). ARSOF are effective in insurgencies and counterinsurgencies, contingency operations, peace operations, and counterterrorism operations. ...