96. DEFEND AGAINST INDIRECT FIRE

97. 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

98. 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

99. 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)

100. 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

101. 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

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

103. 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.

104. 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

105. 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

106. 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

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

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

109. Bucket fashioned into an improvised shape charge.

110. IED in a trash bag.

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

112. IED firing point

113. IED with pole marker

114. 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

115. 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”

116. 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

117. 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

118. REACT TO A SUSPECTED IED

119. 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

120. 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

121. 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

122. 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