text: Planning and Operational Considerations
  barriers. Herbicides, if approved for the area of operations, may be used to enhance visibility in vegetated
  areas.
  7-77. A restricted zone is a carefully selected area, of varied width, that is contiguous to the border.
  Counterinsurgents give public notice that all unauthorized individuals or groups encountered in the
  restricted zone will be dealt with as infiltrators or insurgents. A friendly population buffer zone is an area in
  which civilians living within the area of operations are limited to those believed to be loyal to the
  government. Persons whose loyalty cannot be established are monitored. This concept offers a good
  potential for establishing information nets and using loyal citizens in self-defense border units. It denies
  insurgents potential civilian contacts and base areas for border-crossing activities. Commanders and staffs
  direct a continuing military information support operation effort toward maintaining the morale and loyalty
  of the population.
  7-78. Counterinsurgents may employ aerial reconnaissance, unattended ground sensors, and ground
  reconnaissance patrols to ensure adequate reconnaissance and surveillance of remote areas. Surveillance
  and control of extensive coastal areas normally require the use of coordinated ground patrols on the
  shoreline, coordinated offshore patrols, aerial surveillance, strategically located observation posts, and an
  effective system of licensing and identifying friendly, military, and civilian watercraft.
  7-79. Commanders and staffs must consider the population of the host nation’s neighbor country.
  Counterinsurgent actions will be viewed and interpreted by local populations in neighboring countries.
  Counterinsurgents must consider the impact their actions have on these populations. If the neighboring
  local populations sympathize with host-nation insurgents or believe that counterinsurgent programs are
  counterproductive to their individual goals, then negative perceptions can lead to increased foreign fighters,
  weapons, and resource trafficking to support an insurgency. Counterinsurgents lack the physical means to
  influence this population, but they can mitigate risk by performing effective information operations that
  explain counterinsurgent programs and their benefits.
  Basing
  7-80. Counterinsurgency forces operate within a host country and must have a base from which to operate.
  A base is a locality from which operations are projected or supported (JP 4-0). All bases must be securable
  and defendable. Bases vary according to the size and missions of the units occupying a base. All types of
  bases require clear command relationships. In counterinsurgency operations, forward operating bases and
  combat outposts are important.
  7-81. Normally, when U.S. forces are the primary counterinsurgents, at least one forward operating base
  exists in an area of operations. The size of the area, its physical characteristics, and the number and size of
  the units operating within the area often require additional operating bases. The forward operating bases
  established by a brigade or battalion are often semipermanent and provide deployed units with command,
  control, and communications facilities; sustainment; personnel systems support; staging areas; and
  intelligence activities. They provide units with relatively secure locations from which to plan and prepare
  for operations. During counterinsurgency operations, they aid in limiting insurgent mobility nearby and in
  providing some security and contact to the local population.
  7-82. There are a few differences between brigade and battalion forward operating bases. Brigade forward
  operating bases are larger than battalion forward operating bases and provide a secure location for
  nondeployed elements of the deployed battalions, such as battalion forward support companies. A battalion
  forward operating base is normally staffed with the minimum personnel needed to operate and provide
  security. Other assets are normally positioned in a brigade operational base. A battalion forward operating
  base should maintain two methods for sustainment: by road and either air or water.
  7-83. A combat outpost is a reinforced observation post capable of conducting limited combat operations
  (FM 3-90-2). In counterinsurgency operations, combat outposts are often company and platoon-sized bases
  inside of insurgent influenced territory. When U.S. forces are acting as the primary counterinsurgents,
  combat outposts represent a cornerstone of counterinsurgency operations. Located in strategically
  important areas, a combat outpost provides security in its immediate area and direct contact with the local
  population not possible from remote bases. Although this method carries with it potential downsides in