text: Stability
  organizations and functions during area security operations reflect carefully weighing and accepting risk (for
  example,economy of force) to reflect the demands of the BCT’s area security mission.
  COMMAND AND CONTROL
  8-197. Stability-focused tasks within area security operations are more complex because they involve to a
  greater extent unified action partners, sister services, and host-nation forces. BCT preparatory activities stress
  clarity and transparency about the command relationship between the BCT and the other military service
  components or agencies that operate in assigned or projected areas of operations. Though difficult, the BCT
  commander strives to achieve unity of effort with unified action partners, spending a great deal of effort
  during preparations to clarify the roles and functions of the various, often competing agencies.
  Inherent Responsibilities
  8-198. The BCT commander has inherent responsibilities—including the requirements to clarify the
  mission; to determine the controlling legal and policy authorities; and to organize, direct, sustain, and care
  for the organizations and individuals for whom they provide the effort in interagency and multinational
  operations. The commander serves as the unit’s chief engager, responsible for informing and influencing
  audiences inside and outside the organization. For example, the commander often integrates host-nation
  security forces and interagency activities with subordinate battalion, companies and platoons and down to
  the individual Soldier level forsupport units. With this in mind, obtaining the necessary numbers of scalable
  communications packages and linguist to support the BCT’s planned operations and training are important
  preparatory activities.
  Continue to Coordinate and Conduct Liaison
  8-199. Coordinating and conducting liaison ensures that subordinate commanders and leaders internal and
  external to the BCT understand their unit’s role in upcoming operations, and that they are prepared to perform
  that role. In addition to military forces, many civilian organizations may operate in the same area of
  operations. Their presence can both affect and be affected by BCT operations. Continuous coordination and
  liaison between the command and unified action partners helps to build unity of effort, especially with civilian
  organizations because of the variety of external organizations and the inherent coordination challenges.
  8-200. Available resources and the need for direct contact between sending and receiving headquarters
  determine when to establish liaison. Establishing and maintaining liaison enables direct communications
  between the sending and receiving units or headquarters beginning with planning and continue through
  preparing and executing, or it may start (although not preferred) as late as execution. The BCT commander
  and staff coordinate with higher, lower, adjacent, supporting, and supported units and civilian organizations.
  Coordination includes but is not limited to the following:
  (cid:122) Sending and receiving liaison teams.
  (cid:122) Establishing communication links that ensure continuous contact during execution.
  (cid:122) Exchanging SOPs.
  (cid:122) Synchronizing security operations with reconnaissance plans to prevent breaks in coverage.
  (cid:122) Facilitating civil-military coordination among those involved.
  Continue to Build Partnerships andTeams
  8-201. As part of the BCT’s coordination efforts, the commander may establish or utilize (from higher
  echelon) special negotiation elements that move wherever they are needed to build partnerships or teams and
  diffuse or negotiate confrontations within the BCT area of operations. Echeloned elements partner with
  linguist support and personnel with the authority to negotiate on behalf of the appropriate level chain of
  command. As the BCT and these elements conduct preparatory activities, subordinate units of the BCT
  rehearse activities supporting these operations and when required ensures that these elements have access to
  required transportation and communications assets.