text: Chapter 4
  AREA SECURITY
  4-30. Area security is a type of security operation conducted to protect friendly forces, lines of
  communications, and activities within a specific area (ADP 3-90). Forces engaged in area security protect
  the force, installation, route, area, or asset. Although vital to the success of military operations, area security
  is normally an economy-of-force mission, often designed to ensure the continued conduct of sustainment
  operations and to support decisive and shaping operations by generating and maintaining combat power.
  4-31. Area security may be the predominant method of protecting the support areas that are necessary to
  facilitate the positioning, employment, and protection of resources required to sustain, enable, and control
  forces. Forces engaged in area security can saturate an area or position on key terrain to provide protection
  through early warning, reconnaissance, or surveillance and to guard against unexpected enemy or adversary
  attack with an active response. This early warning, reconnaissance, or surveillance may come from ground-
  and space-based sensors. Area security may focus on named areas of interest in an effort to answer
  commander’s critical information requirements, aiding in tactical decision making and confirming or denying
  threat intentions.
  4-32. The MEB should be task-organized in a manner that emphasizes the mobility, lethality, and
  communications capabilities required to conduct area security tasks throughout the support area. The support
  area designated land owner conducts area security to preserve the commander’s freedom to move reserves,
  position fire support means, provide for command and control, conduct sustaining operations, and contribute
  to other support area activities. Area security often entails route security, convoy security, and checkpoint
  operations. The MEB units conducting area security take advantage of the local security measures performed
  by all units in the support area.
  Base Camp Defense
  4-33. Base defense consists of the local military measures, both normal and emergency, required to nullify
  or reduce the effectiveness of enemy attacks on, or sabotage of, a base, to ensure that the maximum capacity
  of its facilities is available to United States forces (JP 3-10). The MEB will conduct base camp and base
  cluster security and defense when it is necessary to defend in all directions, when it must hold critical terrain
  in areas where the defense is not tied in with adjacent units, or when it has been bypassed and isolated by the
  enemy and must defend in place. Within a support area, the support area designated land owner normally
  must defend in all directions and prepares perimeter base camp security and defense (see appendix E).
  4-34. The MEB commander is responsible for area security, base camp and base cluster security, and defense
  within the support area. The designated base camp commanders within the support area should be in support
  of the MEB commander for security and defense. The elements operating within the individual base camps
  should be in support of the base camp commander for security and defense. The MEB commander tasks units
  within the support area to conduct collective information collection, security, and defense operations. See
  ATP 3-37.10 for details on base camp security and defense.
  4-35. The MEB integrates the base camp and base cluster security and self-defensive plans. The MEB
  commander designates tenant commanders as base camp commanders. The base camp commanders perform
  this additional responsibility under the oversight of the support area commander. The MEB can mass forces,
  capabilities, or systems from several base camps or base clusters to integrate, synchronize, and mass combat
  power at a decisive point where the threat exceeds a single base camp’s security or defensive capabilities.
  Outer Security Area
  4-36. Typically, each base camp or base cluster has a boundary established beyond their perimeter to at least
  direct fire range (3–5 kilometers) to execute their fire plans within their ability to control; this is their security
  area. The MEB is responsible for the security of the area not assigned to a subordinate unit within the support
  area. This security area should be wide enough to preclude enemy use of mortars and allow adequate time to
  detect enemy threats and engage with direct-fire weapons. MEB commanders clearly define their intent for
  outer security areas and their expectations for actions to counter threats. OPORDs state the tasks of the
  security force(s) in terms of the time required or expected to maintain security.