What term describes the military's approach to maintaining order in post-conflict situations?

The term that describes the military's approach to maintaining order in post-conflict situations is "stability operations." This concept encompasses a range of activities aimed at ensuring a secure and stable environment following conflict. Stability operations can include peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and reconstruction efforts, all focusing on restoring governance, law and order, and services in a post-conflict setting. The goal is to create conditions that prevent a resurgence of violence and facilitate the transition to a more sustainable peace.

In contrast, counterinsurgency primarily deals with the strategies to combat insurgent movements and often involves a combination of military action and political efforts, typically executed during a conflict rather than focused on the aftermath. Combat operations refer to activities related to direct engagement in warfare against an enemy force, which does not pertain to post-conflict scenarios. Deterrence involves strategies designed to prevent adversaries from taking aggressive actions, often through the threat of retaliation, rather than addressing stability in post-conflict environments.