text: Stability
  (cid:122) Protect key personnel and facilities.
  (cid:122) Clear explosive and other hazards.
  8-53. The BCT conducts operations that directly support subtasks: enforce cessation of hostilities, peace
  agreements, and other arrangements; conduct border control, boundary security, and freedom of movement;
  support identification; protect key personnel, and facilities. The BCT has limited capability to support,
  determine disposition and composition of national armed and intelligence services; conduct disarmament,
  demobilization, and reintegration; and to clear explosives and other hazards.
  INITIAL RESPONSE
  8-54. During the initial response phase, the BCT often executes subordinate tasks because the host nation
  lacks the capability. BCT subordinate units occupy areas of operation in accordance with geographical,
  political, socioeconomic, task, or supported actor boundary considerations. Information collection activities
  will develop further understanding of boundaries requiring the BCT to shift unit assets and resources to better
  align with unified action partners to mitigate sources of instability. BCTs may be required to identify and
  segregate combatants and noncombatants, search them, safeguard them, and move them out of the immediate
  area of operations. The BCT commander establishes priorities for protection of civil and military personnel,
  facilities, installations, and key terrain within the area of operations and initiates the stability principles of
  conflict transformation, unity of effort, and building partner capacity during the initial response.
  8-55. The BCT conducts operations that safeguard the local population and prevent factions or actors
  contributing to sources of instability. Ultimately, these operations convince rival factions and actors to secure
  their interests through negotiation and peaceful political processes rather than violence, intimidation,
  coercion, or corruption. BCT units must remain neutral during this period. Supporting one of more factions
  or leveraging one faction against another may contribute to instability. Perception from the local population
  must be that the U.S. forces are neutral and have the best interests of the population and are providing security
  to the area allowing further development to occur.
  8-56. Identifying actors and their intentions during this phase through information collection allows the BCT
  to seize the initiative. The BCT commander and subordinate leaders must reach, through engagements,
  binding agreements or understandings with unified action partners to determine the best way to divide labor
  and deconflict efforts so that partners are not working at cross-purposes. Actor agendas or intents are not
  known or understood in their entirety during this phase. Psychological operations (PSYOP) staff planners
  and intelligence staff sections develop indicators that commanders and leaders can clearly understand and
  identify to reveal actor agendas or intents. Information collection, with and without unified action partners,
  along with continuous assessment enables the commander’s understanding of unity of effort and unity of
  purpose.
  TRANSFORMATION
  8-57. In the transformation phase, host-nation security forces and, potentially, intergovernmental
  organization peacekeepers begin to contribute. The BCT focuses more on SFA, particularly on the systems
  required to professionalize the host-nation security forces. The BCT continues in partnership with unified
  action partners according to the legitimate government binding agreements. Information collection will
  develop further understanding of boundaries requiring the BCT to shift unit assets and resources to better
  align with unified action partners to mitigate sources of instability. The BCT advises and assists the security
  force leadership empowering them to assume as much of the security effort as possible.
  8-58. Host-nation security forces prominently work on security efforts so local populations do not perceive
  theBCT as an invading force, to resist. Host-nation security forces stay involved to promote the legitimacy
  of their government and progress with unified action partners. The BCT will assist host-nation security force
  information operations, sustainment in support of the host nation, protection and area security operations as
  needed.
  8-59. As soon as possible, the BCT transfers host nation infrastructure security to host-nation organizations.
  Host-nation military units may temporarily be committed to securing public infrastructure, but eventually
  police forces or dedicated security organizations conduct this function. The BCT continues coordination
  between unified action partners to help mediate any disagreements among them.