Combat operations incorporate those operations included in the previous areas of war and conflict. The conflict level provides the dividing line between the type of operations. Low conflict probability characterizes support operations. Thus, certain PK, NEO and counterdrug missions may be support operations in a low-threat environment where the goal is more in line with nation assistance. At higher threat levels, these operations are conducted as stability operations at the local or regional level.
Operations fall in a continuum characterized by the level of threat and are categorized by type.
This categorization method provides a more precise understanding of what to expect and how to prepare for the mission involved. For instance, while Somalia began as a humanitarian assistance mission to feed the hungry, the threat level was high enough that PK and PE elements were necessary. This operation, even at its inception, would be categorized as a stability operation, thus preparing the force for the higher threat level. DROs with low or no threat, for example, are support operations. A potential continuum of operations is depicted below.