FM-3-81 Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Download
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Chapter 3 3-8 FM 3-81 09 November 2021 3-13. The corps and division operational areas are normally subdivided and assigned as subordinate unit AOs, corps AOs to divisions and brigades, and division AOs to brigades (see FM 3-0). At corps and division levels, METT-TC analysis may not support an option to assign the echelon support area to a single unit. The area retained by the echelon may be easy to secure and control so that it can all be assigned as the echelon support area to a MEB with minor augmentation. As the operation progresses and the situation changes, the size of the echelon support area may change. 3-14. The MEB commander plans for support area operations within an assigned support area. The AO responsibilities require the MEB to plan decisive, shaping, and sustaining operations within the AO. Securing host-nation populations and critical infrastructure must also be planned for during support area operations. The MEB commander and staff must synchronize and integrate numerous units and headquarters’ elements to conduct support area operations. 3-15. When the operational environment or particular missions in the support area require a high degree of certainty and order, compliance, or centralization, the MEB commander may adjust the degree of control. Examples are in terrain management with the positioning and design of base camps. This is often needed for base-inherent defensibility, clustering of base camps for mutual support, the employment of base camps and base cluster response forces, and the TCF assigned to the support area. Some units that are tenants within the support area will not have the staff to conduct detailed IPB and defense planning and preparation needed to execute a decentralized command and control operation. This requires the MEB commander to conduct operations in a level of detail not normally done by other brigades. 3-16. The MEB higher headquarters order should establish command and support relationships within the support area and give the MEB commander clear authority to request or negotiate with units for their compliance or support for security and defense. The MEB commander must integrate the actions of tenant units, to include base camps and base cluster commanders. Responsibilities may include protection, information collection, security, defense, movement control, fires, air support, AMD, incident response, and area damage control. The MEB commander coordinates decentralized execution by assigned units, base camps, and base cluster commanders. The MEB commander’s staff may also need to coordinate area damage control support to functional brigades, the sustainment brigade, or the sustainment command throughout the support area. The staff reviews and coordinates the supporting base camp and base cluster defense plans; develops plans to employ the TCF and fires; and coordinates for host-nation, joint, interagency, and multinational assets. See appendix D for additional information on base camps and base clusters. 3-17. The MEB staff coordinates with the higher headquarters to establish priorities, develop plans, and decide when and where to accept risk in the support area. The MEB staff can use several levels of vulnerability, threat, and criticality assessments and the risk management process discussed in ADP 3-37 and ATP 5-19. 3-18. Based on vulnerability and risk assessment, the higher headquarters may provide the MEB commander with additional capabilities, to include information collection support, additional security forces, or additional fires and other forces. The increased span of control might be excessive for the MEB commander and require the higher headquarters to manage areas not assigned to subordinates within its larger AO, commit another unit (MEB or BCT) that is capable of providing command and control for another portion of those unassigned areas if that is feasible, or accept risk. 3-19. The MEB will command one of the base camps within the support area and may designate an assigned battalion size unit as the base camp defense commander. The MEB commander may assign subordinate unit boundaries within the AO. 3-20. The MEB may use several boards or working groups during support area planning and execution. For example, multifunctional members of the protection working group may be used to ensure that all aspects of protection are considered, assessed, and incorporated. 3-21. While CA activities are a significant part of support area operations, the division and corps information operations also integrates and synchronizes information-related capabilities actions to support protection and other warfighting functions. These information-related capabilities actions include tactical deception and support to joint military deception; support to mobility and countermobility, protection, intel, and fires; crowd sourcing; and coordination for multispectral decoy emplacements. Other staff elements at division and corps, including cyberspace electromagnetic activities, provide secondary jamming against enemy bypassed regular