text: Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
  retain terrain, guard populations, and protect critical capabilities against enemy attacks. They can be used to
  gain time and economize forces so that offensive tasks can be executed elsewhere.
  1-48. Defending forces anticipate the enemy attacks and counter them. Waiting for attacks is not a passive
  activity. Commanders conduct aggressive surveillance, reconnaissance, and security operations to seek out
  enemy forces and deny them information. They engage them with Army and joint fires and maneuver to
  weaken them before close combat. Commanders use combined arms and joint capabilities to attack enemy
  vulnerabilities and seize the initiative. There are three types of tactical operations associated with defense:
  mobile defense, area defense, and retrograde defense. ADP 3-90 provides details on the conduct of defensive
  operations.
  1-49. During defensive operations, the initial focus of the MEB is typically on security and protection of the
  support area. The MEB may conduct reconnaissance operations to support the defense. The MEB prepares
  to execute area damage control. Depending on the situation, the MEB continually improves defensive
  positions within its AO or relocates some or all of its activities if required by the higher headquarters
  defensive plans. The MEB continually assesses its effort to support the defensive efforts of its supported
  division or corps, including—
  * The commitment of the MEB assigned TCF.
  * The balance of effort between support to mobility, protection, and sustainment.
  * The balance of effort between self-defense and mission support.
  1-50. If the MEB is supporting a division level defense, MEB focus is on defensive operations within its
  AO. It is also prepared to provide task-organized assets to support BCTs for specific missions in their
  defensive tasks. These organizations may be attached or placed OPCON to BCTs or employed by the MEB
  to complement or reinforce maneuver forces across the AO of higher headquarters for a specific or select
  mission or tasks that support the main effort. However, specific or select missions does not imply long-term
  task organization. If the MEB becomes a force provider for an enduring period of time, it could become
  ineffective in its ability to conduct support area operations.
  STABILITY
  1-51. A stability operation is an operation conducted outside the United States in coordination with other
  instruments of national power to establish or maintain a secure environment and provide essential
  governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief (ADP 3-0). These
  operations support governance by a host nation, an interim government, or a military government. Stability
  involves coercive and constructive action. Stability assists in building relationships among unified action
  partners and promoting U.S. security interests. It can help establish political, legal, social, and economic
  institutions in an area while supporting the transition of responsibility to a legitimate authority. Commanders
  are legally required to conduct minimum-essential stability tasks when controlling populated areas of
  operations. These include security, food, water, shelter, and medical treatment. See ADP 3-07 for a detailed
  discussion of stability.
  1-52. Stability tasks are tasks that are conducted as part of operations outside the United States in
  coordination with other instruments of national power to maintain or reestablish a safe and secure
  environment and provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and
  humanitarian relief. When properly task-organized, the MEB can conduct or support stability operations.
  DEFENSE SUPPORT OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES
  1-53. Defense support of civil authorities is support provided by United States Federal military forces,
  Department of Defense (DOD) civilians, DOD contract personnel, DOD Component assets, and National
  Guard forces (when the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Governors of the affected States, elects
  and requests to use those forces in Title 32, United States Code, status) in response to requests for assistance
  from civil authorities for domestic emergencies, law enforcement support, and other domestic activities, or
  from qualifying entities for special events (DODD 3025.18). DSCA is a task executed in the homeland and
  U.S. territories. It is conducted in support of another primary agency, lead federal agency, or local authority.
  National Guard forces—Title 32 or state active forces under the command and control of the governor and
  the adjutant general—are usually the first forces to respond on behalf of state authorities. When federal