text: Stability
  operations. Cargo helicopters provide the capable to move large numbers of military and civilian security
  force personnel and to conduct resupply when surface transportation is unavailable, or routes become
  impassable.
  Note. BCT plans include measures for the effective use of all resources, to include, exploiting
  airpower for transportation and resupply over extended distances and, where appropriate, tightly
  controlled close air support.
  Reserve and Response Force Operations
  8-155. Maintaining a reserve during any operation is difficult. Often, the commander finds that the BCT
  has more tasks than units to do, and stability focused area security operations are no exception. Nonetheless,
  contingencies or missions may arise that require establishing a reserve. Maintaining a reserve allows the
  establishing commander to plan for worst-case scenarios and to exploit opportunities, provide flexibility, and
  conserve the force during long-term operations.
  8-156. The response force differs from a reserve in that it is not in support of a particular engagement. A
  response force is a dedicated force on a base with adequate tactical mobility and fire support designated to
  defeat Level I and Level II threats and shape Level III threats until a tactical combat force can defeat them
  or other available response forces. The response force answers to the establishing headquarters. (See
  ATP3-91.) Considerations when establishing a response force include—
  (cid:122) Threats.
  (cid:122) Communication equipment and procedures.
  (cid:122) Alert procedures.
  (cid:122) Transportation.
  (cid:122) Training priorities.
  8-157. To counter an indirect fire threat, the commander employs counterfire radars throughout and area of
  operations to locate hostile indirect fire systems. The use of quick reactionary forces, attack helicopter, or
  local friendly forces are ideal for response to counterfire radar acquisitions as clearance of fire procedures
  are often time-consuming and not necessarily reliable when determining locations for host-nation forces.
  Additionally, indiscriminate use of indirect fire on counterfire radar acquisitions can lead to unwanted
  collateral damage.
  INTELLIGENCE
  8-158. The conduct of stability focused tasks demands greater attention to civilian considerations—the
  political, social, economic, and cultural factors in an assigned area of operations—than does the conduct of
  conventional offensive and defensive focused tasks. Using the mission variable of civil considerations and
  its subordinate characteristics identified by the mnemonic ASCOPE, the BCT staff has a standardized
  baseline for analysis to generate understanding. This baseline is augmented by analyses conducted byorganic
  and attached forces such as social-cultural analysis, target audience analyses, intelligence analyses,
  population, and area studies. During area security operations, the commander expands the IPB process
  beyond geographical and force capability considerations. (See ATP 2-01.3 for additional information on IPB
  for stability missions.)
  Information Collection
  8-159. Information collection, specifically plan requirements and assess collection, enables relevant,
  predictive, and tailored intelligence within an area of operations. (See ATP 2-01 for additional information
  on the specific functions for stability missions.) Intelligence cells and knowledge management elements
  within the BCT and division (or higher) headquarters and battalion and squadron headquarters develop
  procedures to share collected intelligence data and products, both vertically and horizontally, throughout the
  force. (See ATP 2-19.4 for additional information on intelligence techniques for stability missions.)