Countermine-procedures

PURPOSE To increase individual soldier understanding of the mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) threat in the former Yugoslavia, and to develop counter mine skills in order to protect the force during Stability Operations.

ACTIONS: •

Probing for Mines

• Tripwire/Booby Traps • Self/Unit Extraction

RISK ASSESSMENT HAZARD IDENTIFICATION: - One Million Mines

RISK ASSESSMENT: - Extremely High

RISK MANAGEMENT & REDUCTION HAZARD • One

million mines

CONTROLS • Freeze, avoid, report, mark

• Situational awareness • Develop mine sense • Navigation • Countermine • NEVER attempt to DEACTIVATE

INDENTIFY MINED AREAS • • • • • •

Three saw cuts in the side of a tree Rocks piled up Freshly dug mounds of earth Blast crater Damaged vehicles or dead animals Signs, clothing or markers in trees, on post or on stakes • Residue from mine craters

USING THE PROBE (Non-Metallic Object)

30 Degrees

3”

CLEAR & MARK THE LANE 1½”

1½”

one meter

REMEMBER!!! • Probe at a 30 degree angle • Probe every 1½ inches across • Probe 1-meter wide path • Probe 3 inches deep Mark mines!

BOOBY TRAPS

BOOBY TRAPS TRIPWIRES

BOOBY TRAPS TRIPWIRES START POINT

A BOOBY TRAP IS: “An explosive charge or non-explosive device, which is installed to wound, kill, or incapacitate an unsuspecting person when he disturbs an apparently harmless object or performs a presumably safe act.”

THE AIM OF BOOBY TRAPPING IS TO: • Confuse the enemy • Inflict casualties • Destroy material • Lower morale

TRIPWIRES & BOOBY TRAPS • Visual ( Binoculars) • Grass • Hand • Fishing Pole • Grappling Hook

TYPES OF TRAPS . Bait . Decoy . Bluff . Double Bluff

BOOBY TRAP COMPONENTS . A Firing Device . A Power Source - Battery . A Connection - Electric Wire . A Blasting Cap . A Main Charge

DETECTION • DETECTION WILL BE PRIMARILY BY VISUAL MEANS. • INDICATORS OF POSSIBLE BOOBY TRAPS: • Trampled Earth or Footmarks. • Disturbances of Ground Surface or Scattered, Loose Soil.

DETECTION ( CONT.) • Improvised Methods of Marking Traps, Such as Piles of Stones or Marks on Walls or Trees. • Evidence of Withered Camouflage. • Wrappers, Seals, Loose Shell Caps, Safety Pins, Nails, Batteries, or Pieces of Wire or Cord.

DETECTION (CONT.) • Breaks in The Continuity of Dust, Paint Work, or Vegetation. • Lumps or Bulges Under Carpet or in Furniture. • Anything That Attracts Your Attention!

Self/Unit Extraction

Self/Unit Extraction • Freeze and designate path to clear out of minefield. • Report to higher as soon as situation permits. • Extraction element probes and marks a cleared path. • Evacuate casualty on cleared path to a cleared area.

A

C B

AVOIDANCE • NO ITEMS OR AREAS CAN BE CONSIDERED SAFE. • SUSPECT ANY OBJECT THAT APPEARS TO BE OUT OF PLACE - REMEMBER - WHAT YOU SEE MIGHT BE WHAT THE ENEMY WANTS YOU TO SEE. • STAY ON APPROVED ROUTES.

AVOIDANCE (cont.) • STAY OUT OF BUILDINGS AND AREAS NOT APPROVED BY SFOR. • NEVER ATTEMPT TO DEACTIVATE! • STOP, AVOID, MARK, AND REPORT • RETURN THE WAY YOU CAME.

COUNTERMINE ACTION: LOCATE MINES BY PROBING. CONDITIONS: GIVEN INDIVIDUAL COMBAT EQUIPMENT, A NON-METALLIC MINE PROBE, AND AREA WITH BURIED MINES, AND MARKING MATERIALS. STANDARDS: PROBE EVERY 1 1/2 INCHES TO A PATH OF 1 METER WIDE, 1 TO 3 INCHES DEEP (vertical depth), AND AT A 30 DEGREE ANGLE. DETECTING AND MARKING MINES.

COUNTERMINE ACTION: LOCATE TRIPWIRES AND BOOBY TRAPS. CONDITIONS: GIVEN A BOOBYTRAPPED LANE, INDIVIDUAL COMBAT EQUIPMENT, AND MARKING MATERIALS. STANDARDS: USING ONE OF THE FIVE METHODS, LOCATE AND MARK TRIPWIRES AND BOOBY TRAPS WITHOUT ANY DETONATIONS.

COUNTERMINE

ACTION: EXTRACTION FROM A MINEFIELD (DISMOUNTED). CONDITIONS: GIVEN A SQUAD WITH INDIVIDUAL COMBAT EQUIPMENT, MINE PROBES, AND MARKING MATERIALS. SQUAD FINDS ITSELF IN A MINEFIELD BY VISUAL DETECTION OR MINE DETONATION. STANDARDS: SQUAD DETECTS AND MARKS MINES ALONG A DESIGNATED PATH (ABC METHOD) AND EXTRACTS ALL SOLDIERS WITHOUT DETONATING ANY MINES

PROBING