DEFEND AGAINST INDIRECT FIRE

ACTIVE DEFENSE Indirect Fire Direct counterbattery fire if direction and distance to enemy position can be determined Direct fire against enemy forward observer Coordinate air strike against enemy position

PASSIVE DEFENSE Indirect Fire Halt only if artillery concentration is ahead of convoy Locate alternate route around impact area Increase speed and obtain maximum interval Prepare for ambush If ambush follows, defend as in any other ambush Clear the area as soon as possible The best passive defense against indirect fire is an open column formation

BREAK CONTACT Commander’s Actions Determine status Designate floating or fixed rally point(s) Give order to break contact Give order to proceed to rally point(s)

BREAK CONTACT General Procedures Gun trucks provide covering fire support Deploy obscuration measures Litter teams recover wounded and KIA Maintain position, provide suppression fire, assist aid and litter teams Destroy and abandon disabled vehicles Vehicles displace Use alternating displacement if vehicles on both sides of kill zone Separated vehicles move to closest rally point

BREAK CONTACT Intent is to quickly move out of contact when the convoy cannot gain fire superiority. Enemy Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 To forward rally point Convoy CDR orders withdrawal and designates rally point Clear kill zone first Priority to wounded Link-up with leadership for accountability Clear vehicles closest to kill zone and rear displace next Gun trucks suppress/cover convoy as vehicles displace

EXPLOSIVE DEVICES (IED) ELO F REACT TO IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES (IED)

DEFINITION Those devices placed or fabricated in an improvised manner incorporating destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals, designed to destroy, disfigure, distract, or harass. They may incorporate military stores, but are Normally devised from non-military components. IEDs may have an NBC capability.

FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE Maintain situational awareness and a vigilant security posture Attempt to detect IEDs before they can do damage Scan the road and surrounding area

IED CHARACTERISTICS or timed May incorporate military ordinance, but Command detonated, victim actuated, or timed May incorporate military ordinance, but normally devised from non-military components Can be daisy chained Can be disguised as virtually anything Can be easily concealed Can be dropped from overpasses

IED CHARACTERISTICS (Continued) May be carried by children May be left in the open to channel convoy traffic into ambush or other hazard Can be vehicle borne

IED COMPONENTS Mortar rounds, battery and cable, liquid in a bottle (possible petrol), and a spool of wire

IED fashioned from a mortar round plus a secondary munition. Note the tip of the fuse.

Bucket fashioned into an improvised shape charge.

IED in a trash bag.

Post-blast photos of an IED concealed in a concrete curb.

IED firing point

IED with pole marker

AVOIDING IEDS Maintain designated convoy speed Follow tracks of preceding vehicles Stay on the hardstand Travel in lane best suited for rapid travel Travel down middle of the road if possible Present an unpredictable target Scan the road before halting

If it looks or seems suspicious, treat it as a AVOIDING IEDs (Continued) Avoid abandoned or disabled vehicles on the road Avoid animal-drawn carts Watch for signs of tampering Watch for fresh concrete work Watch for foreign objects at center median turnarounds Watch for markings warning civilians of IEDs Prevent civilian vehicles from infiltrating the convoy Drive in nonstandard patterns to avoid predictability If it looks or seems suspicious, treat it as a “Possible IED”

OBSERVE LOCAL POPULATION Sudden activity within crowds as convoy approaches Civilians dispersing or disappearing Absence of women and children normally present Dramatic changes in population from one block to next No activity where there are normally large crowds

OBSERVE LOCAL POPULATION (Continued) Suspicious movement in upper floor windows People and vehicles on overpasses People inside traffic circles Signals as convoy approaches Vehicles following convoy and pulling to side of road Civilians with video cameras Presence of a media crew

REACT TO A SUSPECTED IED

METHODS OF DEFENSE Always assume that there is at least one secondary device. Wear helmet, body armor, eye and hearing protection Do not approach a known or suspected IED Throw smoke grenade from your vehicle to warn follow-on drivers

METHODS OF DEFENSE (CONTINUED) If within 100 meters, increase speed and clear the area Stop no closer than 300 meters short of a suspected IED Do not transmit on radios or cell phones Look for potential enemy vantage/observation points

THE FIVE C’S CONFIRM and report CLEAR the area (minimum 300 meters) CORDON off and secure the area CONTROL entry and exit CHECK for secondary devices IED SCAN 300 m 300 m SCAN GUN TRUCK TASK VEHICLE

ALTERNATIVE TPP FOR LOGISTICAL CONVOYS Large convoys (often 50 or more vehicles) Faced with unique problems due to size Highly vulnerable to attack Alternate method: move to the far side of the road, accelerate, and keep moving Forward UXO report Check unit SOP