2-4. Civil Affairs operations are actions planned, coordinated, executed, and assessed to enhance awareness of, and manage the interaction with, the civil component of the operational environment; identify and mitigate underlying causes of instability within civil society; and/or involve the application of functional specialty skills normally the responsibility of civil government (JP 3-57). Civil Affairs operations are performed by assigned Civil Affairs forces. Civil Affairs are designated Active Component and Reserve Component forces and units organized, trained, and equipped specifically to conduct Civil Affairs operations and to support civil-military operations (JP 3-57). Military commanders must consider not only military forces but also the entirety of the operational environment in which they operate. This operational environment includes a populace that may be supportive, neutral, or antagonistic to the presence of military forces, both friendly and opposing. A supportive populace can provide resources and information to facilitate friendly operations. Civil Affairs operations ensure that commanders are advised on civil considerations, to include fulfillment of legal and moral obligations to the populace (in conjunction with the commander’s legal advisor), which can impact foreign policy objectives. Commanders and staffs use the principle of precise operations to ensure that noncombatants are treated with dignity and respect, minimizing harm to them and protecting their personal property, and to establish trust with the host-nation populace. A hostile populace threatens the operations of deployed friendly forces, can undermine mission legitimacy, and can often undermine public support at home for the nation’s policy objectives. Civil-military operations are activities of a commander performed by designated military forces that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military forces and indigenous populations and institutions by directly supporting the achievement of objectives relating to the reestablishment or maintenance of stability within a region or host nation (JP 3-57).