text: Stability
  StatesDepartment of State Embassy or Consulate country team, chiefs ofstations or bases, defense attaches,
  and subject matter expertise from other governmental departments (Departments of Agriculture, Justice,
  Treasury, and so forth).
  8-38. Humanitarian organizations avoid any blurring of the distinction between neutral, independent, and
  impartial humanitarian action and development aid derived from political engagement, as the latter is
  potentially linked to security concerns or support to one side. The BCT often works through civilian
  representatives from United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations, or the host
  nation when coordinating with nongovernmental organizations. The BCT avoids publicly citing
  nongovernmental organizations as information sources, as that might jeopardize their neutrality and invite
  retaliation by adversaries. The BCT primarily uses civil-military operations centers operated by civil affairs
  units to coordinate with nongovernmental organizations. (See ATP 3-07.5 for additional information.) BCTs
  operating with nongovernmental organizations follow these guidelines:
  (cid:122) Military personnel wear uniforms when conducting relief activities.
  (cid:122) Military personnel make prior arrangements before visiting nongovernmental organizations.
  (cid:122) Military personnel do not refer to nongovernmental organizations as force multipliers or partners
  or other similar terms.
  (cid:122) U.S. forces respect a nongovernmental organization’s decision not to serve as an implementing
  partner.
  SEIZING THE INITIATIVE
  8-39. The enduring theme of seizing the initiative is as applicable in operations focused on stability as in the
  offense and defense. What is significantly different is the context in which the operational framework occurs.
  Operations focused on stability have fewer specified applications of tactics and procedures. The BCT
  commander must study and use critical thinking and creativity to address the tactical problems in this
  complex environment. Operations focused on stability have broader temporal considerations; this operational
  framework occurs before, during and after conflict as well as simultaneous to offensive and defensive
  operations. The BCT commander must consider the effects of this temporal aspect and manage it
  appropriately.
  8-40. Operations focused on stability are by nature conceptual. The BCT commander must understand how
  each action affects the other elements in the complex system of host-nation governmental institutions, civil
  society and local economies. Success in seizing the initiative from a stability-focused perspective is critical
  to preventing conflict, setting conditions for success during the offense and defense and securing hard won
  successes in a post conflict environment.
  RETAINING THE INITIATIVE
  8-41. Retaining initiative gained through the offense and operations focused on stability requires the BCT to
  anticipate and act on civil requirements while actively averting threat actions. Influencing the population
  towards the legitimacy of the civil authority is critical to retaining initiative. In many circumstances, security
  is the most influential element affecting thepopulation beyond their basic needs of food, water, and shelter.
  A secure environment fosters a functioning economy, which provides employment and gradually transfers
  the population’s dependence from military to civilian authorities and host-nation governments.
  8-42. The BCT executes defensive operations and operations focused on stability to retain key terrain, guard
  populations, and protect critical capabilities that inhibit threat actions while fostering conditions to increase
  the impact of stabilizing efforts. Often the BCT assigns these tasks as an economy of force to conduct
  offensive operations and operations focused on stability operations tasks. These tasks take form in such as
  actions as partnership with other indigenous security forces but must be executed to prevent instability. The
  objective is that the population feels that the level of security promotes evolving and often sequential growth
  and stabilization. Host nation actors are often the best and most informed sources on the local environment.