Adp/ Adrp 3-90

Front 1

What does ADP 3-90 cover?

Back 1

Offense and Defense

Front 2

Para 1. What is Tactics?

Back 2

is the employment and ordered arrangement of forces in relation to each other

Front 3

What do Tactical Operations always require?

Back 3

Tactical operations always require judgment and adaptation to the unique circumstances of a specific situation

Front 4

What provides commanders with a set of tools to use in developing a solution to a tactical problem?

Back 4

Tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP)

Front 5

What is the Tactical Level of War?

Back 5

Tactical Level of War is is the level of war at which battles and engagements are planned and executed to achieve military objectives assigned to tactical units or task forces

Front 6

What is an Engagement?

Back 6

An Engagement is a tactical conflict, usually between opposing, lower echelon maneuver forces

Front 7

How long do Engagements usually last?

Back 7

They are usually short, executed in terms of minutes, hours, or days

Front 8

What is a Battle?

Back 8

a Battle consists of a set of related engagements that lasts longer and involves larger forces than an engagement

Front 9

Why must Commanders master the art of science and tactics?

Back 9

to solve the problems that will face them on the battlefield

Front 10

What does the art of tactics require from a commander?

Back 10

it requires exercising intuitive faculties that cannot be learned solely by study

Front 11

What does the Acronym METT-TC stand for?

Back 11

mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, and civil considerations

Front 12

What are the three interrelated aspects of the art of tactics?

Back 12

the creative and flexible array of means to accomplish assigned missions, decision-making under conditions of uncertainty when faced with a thinking and adaptive enemy, and understanding the effects of combat on Soldiers

Front 13

Why must Commanders continue to change their Tactics?

Back 13

Because the enemy changes and adapts to friendly moves during the planning, preparation, and execution of an operation, there is no guarantee that tactics which worked in one situation will work again

Front 14

What does every Commander need to outwit a willing and able opponent?

Back 14

a high degree of creativity and clarity of thought

Front 15

What makes Combat one of the most complex human activities?

Back 15

Because Combat is characterized by violent death, friction, uncertainty, and chance.

Front 16

What is the science of tactics?

Back 16

The science of tactics encompasses the understanding of those military aspects of tactics—capabilities, techniques, and procedures—that can be measured and codified

Front 17

What is a hasty operation?

Back 17

an operation in which a commander directs immediately available forces, using fragmentary orders, to perform activities with minimal preparation, trading planning and preparation time for speed of execution

Front 18

What is an example of a hasty operation?

Back 18

The 9th Armored Division’s seizure of the bridge at Remagen in March 1945

Front 19

What is a deliberate operation?

Back 19

an operation in which the tactical situation allows the development and coordination of detailed plans, including multiple branches and sequels

Front 20

What is an example of a deliberate operation?

Back 20

The 1st Infantry Division’s breach operation during the opening hours of Operation Desert Storm in 1991

Front 21

What does the Commander base the decision to conduct a hasty or deliberate operation on?

Back 21

current knowledge of the situation and an assessment of whether the assets available (to include time) and the means to coordinate and synchronize those assets are adequate to accomplish the mission

ADP 3-90 & ADRP 3-90 Offense and Defense

Front 22

What are the two things inherent in tactical operations?

Back 22

Uncertainty and risk

Front 23

What is a critical skill that a Commander must have?

Back 23

knowing when there is enough information to make a decision within the higher commander’s intent and constraints is part of the art of tactics

Front 24

When can a Commander be less deliberate in planning and preparing for an operation?

Back 24

when facing a clearly less capable and less prepared enemy

Front 25

What are actions on contact?

Back 25

a series of combat actions, often conducted nearly simultaneously, taken on contact with the enemy to develop the situation

Front 26

What is an important factor in reducing risk?

Back 26

how much intelligence is available about the enemy

Front 27

How can a Commander reduce risk associated with any situation?

Back 27

by increasing knowledge of the terrain and friendly, neutral, and enemy forces

Front 28

How does a Commander have a greater risk or making a poor decision?

Back 28

if that individual’s situational understanding is incomplete or faulty

Front 29

How can a Commander partially compensate for a lack of intelligence?

Back 29

by being flexible in troop dispositions through an increase in the depth of the security area, the size and number of security units, and the size of the reserve

ADP 3-90 & ADRP 3-90 Offense and Defense

Front 30

What is joint interdependence?

Back 30

the purposeful reliance by one Service’s forces on another Service’s capabilities to maximize the complementary and reinforcing effects of both

Front 31

What are the twelve principles of joint operations?

Back 31

1. Objective
2. Offensive
3. Mass
4. Maneuver
5. Economy of Force
6. Unity of Command
7. Security
8. Surprise
9. Simplicity
10. Perserverance
11. Legitimacy
12. Restraint

Front 32

What are the eight Operational Variables?

Back 32

1. Political
2. Military
3. Economic
4. Social
5. Information
6. Infrastructure
7. Physical Environment
8. Time

Front 33

What is Operational Variables?

Back 33

those aspects of the operational environment, both military and nonmilitary, that may differ from one operational area to another and affect operations

Front 34

What are the six Mission Variables?

Back 34

1. Mission
2. Enemy
3. Terrain & Weather
4. Troops & support available
5. Time available
6. Civil considerations

Front 35

What is critical during the military decision-making process?

Back 35

analyzing Mission Variables




ADP 3-90 & ADRP 3-90 Offense and Defense

Front 36

What are the 15 Basic Tactical Concepts?

Back 36

1. Area of Operations
2. Combined Arms
3. Concept of Operaitons
4. Decisive engagement
5. Defeat in detail
6. Flanks
7. Maneuver
8. Operation
9. Operational frameworks
10. Piecemeal Commitment
11. Reconstitution
12. Reserve
13. Rules of engagement
14. Tactical mobility
15. Uncommitted forces

Front 37

What are the Army’s Tactical Echelons?

Back 37

the fire team or crew, through the squad, section, platoon, company, battalion, brigade, and division

Front 38

What is Operational initiative?

Back 38

setting or dictating the terms of action throughout an operation

Front 39

How should Army Forces strike the Enemy?

Back 39

using offensive action in times, places, or manners for which the enemy is not prepared to seize, retain, and exploit the operational initiative

Front 40

Defeating the Enemy will ultimately require what?

Back 40

our Forces being on the Offensive

Front 41

What is the main purpose of the offensive?

Back 41

to defeat, destroy, or neutralize the enemy force and to secure decisive terrain, to deprive the enemy of resources, to gain
information, to deceive and divert the enemy, to hold the enemy in position, to disrupt his attack, and to set the conditions for future successful operations

Front 42

What is the main feature of the offensive tasks?

Back 42

taking and maintaining the initiative

Front 43

What characterizes the conduct of offensive tasks?

Back 43

Audacity, concentration, surprise, and tempo

Front 44

What is the main focus of the commander for the offense?

Back 44

to expedite the outcome

Front 45

If a commander is in a difficult situation such as numerical inferiority, what could he do to have a successful outcome?

Back 45

he should be bold and handle the situation audaciously

Front 46

What is Concentration?

Back 46

the ability to mass effects without massing large formations and is therefore essential for achieving and exploiting success

Front 47

How do Commanders achieve Surprise?

Back 47

by striking the enemy at a time, place, or manner for which the enemy is not physically or mentally ready and by varying the direction, boldness, means, and force of the attack

Front 48

How does Surprise effect the Enemy?

Back 48

Surprise delays enemy reactions, overloads and confuses enemy decisionmakers and command and control systems, induces psychological shock in enemy soldiers and leaders, and reduces the coherence of the enemy defense


ADP 3-90 & ADRP 3-90 Offense and Defense

Front 49

What are some things Commanders can do to gain surprise?

Back 49

Being unpredictable and using military deception, cunning, and guile also help to gain surprise

Front 50

What is Tempo?

Back 50

the rate of speed and rhythm of military operations over time with respect to the enemy

Front 51

What is essential for maintaining the initiative?

Back 51

controlling or altering that rate and Tempo

Front 52

What effect on the Enemy can an aggressive application of maneuver and fires?

Back 52

it can keep an enemy off balance and in a reactive state

Front 53

What type of Tempo do Commanders want to maintain against the Enemy?

Back 53

a tempo that maintains relentless pressure on the enemy to prevent the enemy from recovering from the shock and effects of the attack

Front 54

What are the four primary offensive tasks?

Back 54

movement to contact, attack, exploitation and pursuit

Front 55

What is Movement to Contact?

Back 55

an offensive task designed to develop the situation and to establish or regain contact

Front 56

What is the goal of Movement to Contact?

Back 56

to make initial contact with a small element while retaining enough combat power to develop the situation and mitigate the associated risk

Front 57

What is Attack?

Back 57

an offensive task that destroys or defeats enemy forces, seizes and secures terrain, or both

Front 58

What are some Attack types?

Back 58

ambush, counterattack, demonstration, spoiling attack, feint, and raid

Front 59

What is Exploitation?

Back 59

an offensive task—usually following the conduct of a successful attack—designed to disorganize the enemy in depth

Front 60

What is Pursuit?

Back 60

an offensive task designed to catch or cut off a hostile force attempting to escape, with the aim of destroying it

Front 61

What are some Common Offensive Control Measures?

Back 61

assault position, assault time, attack-by-fire position, attack position, axis of advance, direction of attack, final coordination
lines, limit of advance, lines of departure, objective, point of departure, probable line of deployment, rally point, support-by-fire position, and time of attack

Front 62

What is Maneuver?

Back 62

the employment of forces in the operational area through movement in combination with fires to achieve a position of advantage in respect to the enemy

Front 63

What are the forms of Maneuver?

Back 63

envelopment, flank attack, frontal attack, infiltration, penetration, and turning movement

Front 64

What is the primary purpose Commanders choose to Defend?

Back 64

to create conditions for a counteroffensive that allows Army forces to regain the initiative

Front 65

What are other reasons Commanders will choose to conduct a Defense?

Back 65

to retain decisive terrain or deny a vital area to the enemy, to attrit or fix the enemy as a prelude to the offense, in response to surprise action by the enemy, or to increase the enemy’s vulnerability by forcing the enemy to concentrate forces

Front 66

What is the key feature of defensive battle?

Back 66

striving to regain the initiative from the attacking enemy

Front 67

What are some characteristics of the defense that a Defending Commander will use to regain the initiative?

Back 67

disruption, flexibility, mass and concentration, preparation, and security

Front 68

How does the defender disrupt the attacker’s tempo and synchronization?

Back 68

by constantly seeking to wrest the initiative from the attack and preventing the attacker from massing overwhelming combat power against elements of the defending force

Front 69

Why would Defenders seek to separate the enemy’s forces?

Back 69

so that selected enemy units or capabilities can be isolated and then defeated, destroyed, or neutralized

Front 70

Who decides where and when combat will take place?

Back 70

The Attacking force

Front 71

What are the four major activities of the operations process?

Back 71

plan, prepare, execute and assess

Front 72

What are the three integrating processes?

Back 72

intelligence preparation of the battlefield, targeting, and risk management

Front 73

How do Commanders add flexibility to their basic plans?

Back 73

by organizing their defense in depth, retaining reserves, designing counterattack plans, and preparing to assume the offensive

Front 74

What does Maneuver allow the Defender?

Back 74

Maneuver allows the defender to take full advantage of the area of operations and to mass and concentrate when desirable

Front 75

Why do Defending commanders retain reserves?

Back 75

as a means of ensuring mission accomplishment and for exploiting opportunities through offensive action

Front 76

What do Preparations involve?

Back 76

positioning forces in depth, improving terrain to favor the defense, wargaming plans, integrating available fires into those plans, organizing the force for movement and support, rehearsing, and taking measures to protect the force

Front 77

What is the purpose of Security measures?

Back 77

to coordinate and synchronize the defense, to provide early warning, and to begin the process of disrupting the integrity of the enemy attack as early as possible. Commanders must provide for the protection of their forces

Front 78

What are the different tasks that the higher commander can assign the security force?

Back 78

The higher commander can assign the security force the task of cover, guard, screen, or area security for the protected force

Front 79

What are the three basic Defensive Tasks?

Back 79

area defense, mobile defense, and retrograde

Front 80

What is Area Defense?

Back 80

Area Defense is the defensive task that concentrates on denying enemy forces access to designated terrain for a specific time rather than destroying the enemy outright

Front 81

What is Mobile Defense?

Back 81

Mobile Defense is a defensive task that concentrates on the destruction or defeat of the enemy through a decisive attack by a striking force

Front 82

What is Retrograde?

Back 82

Retrograde is a defensive task that involves organized movement away from the enemy

Front 83

What are the three forms of Retrograde?

Back 83

The three forms of the retrograde are delay, withdrawal, and retirement

Front 84

What is delaying operation?

Back 84

delaying operation is an operation in which a force under pressure trades space for time by slowing down the enemy’s momentum and inflicting maximum damage on the enemy without, in principle, becoming decisively engaged

Front 85

What is Withdrawal?

Back 85

Withdrawal is a planned retrograde operation in which a force in contact disengages from an enemy force and moves in a direction away from the enemy

Front 86

What is Retirement?

Back 86

Retirement is a form of retrograde in which a force out of contact moves away from the enemy

Front 87

What are some other control measures that a commander conducting a defense can employ?

Back 87

designating the security area, the main battle area with its associated forward edge of the battle area, and the echelon support area

Front 88

What are the three forms of Defense?

Back 88

Defense of linear obstacle, Perimeter defense, Reverse slope defense

Front 89

What are some of the Tactical enabling tasks?

Back 89

reconnaissance, security, troop movement, relief in place, passage of lines, encirclement operations, and urban operations