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Joint Operations Across the Range of Military Operations V-63 i. Legitimacy. Military activities during the stabilize phase should sustain the legitimacy of the operation and of the emerging or host government. During operations where a government does not exist, extreme caution should be used when dealing with individuals and organizations to avoid inadvertently legitimizing them. Implementation of SC-related guidance through the commander’s communications strategy can enhance perceptions of the legitimacy of stability operations. j. OPSEC. Although there may be no clearly defined threat, the essential elements of US military operations should be safeguarded. The uncertain nature of the situation, coupled with the potential for rapid change, require that OPSEC be an integral part of stability operations. OPSEC planners must consider the effect of media coverage and the possibility coverage may compromise essential security or disclose critical information. 17. Considerations for Enabling Civil Authority a. General. In this phase, the joint operation normally is terminated when the stated military strategic and/or operational objectives have been met and redeployment of the joint force is accomplished. This should mean that a legitimate civil authority has been enabled to manage the situation without further outside military assistance. In some cases, it may become apparent that the stated objectives fall short of properly enabling civil authority. This situation may require a redesign of the joint operation as a result of an extension of the required stability operations in support of US diplomatic, HN, IGO, and/or NGO efforts. b. Peace Building. The transition from military operations to full civilian control may involve ongoing operations that have a significant combat component, including counterinsurgency operations, antiterrorism, and CT. Even while combat operations are ongoing, the operation will include a large stability component that is essentially a PB mission. PB, transitioning to a DOS led effort, provides the reconstruction and societal rehabilitation that offers hope to the HN populace. Stability measures establish the conditions that enable PB to succeed. PB promotes reconciliation, strengthens and rebuilds civil infrastructures and institutions, builds confidence, and supports economic reconstruction to prevent a return to conflict. The ultimate measure of success in PB is political, not military. Therefore, JFCs seek a clear understanding of the national/coalition strategic end state and how military operations support that end state. c. Transfer to Civil Authority. In many cases, the United States will transfer responsibility for the political and military affairs of the HN to another authority. JFCs may be required to transfer responsibility of operations to another authority (e.g., UN observers, multinational peacekeeping force, or NATO) as the termination criteria. This probably will occur after an extended period of conducting joint or multinational stability operations and PB missions as described above. Overall, transfer likely will occur in stages (e.g., HN sovereignty, PO under UN mandate, termination of all US military participation). Joint force support to this effort may include the following: