21st Century Mine Warfare

Abstract

Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom have required Marine Corps forces to contend with repeated attacks from improvised explosive devices (IED). These devices have been perceived as a new threat that has caught the American military unprepared. To respond to the threat, ground commanders believed that the explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) community was the only viable option. This solution however, has proven insufficient due to the small number of EOD technicians. It also overlooks the similarity of IEDs to land mines in their composition and employment. Combat engineers are the members of the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) primed to conduct countermine operations. Rather than overburdening the EOD community, combat engineers must be utilized for combating the threat of IEDs because their mission, doctrine, and task organization best support these types of operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 07, 2006
Accession Number
ADA503933

Entities

People

  • T. P. White

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter IED

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Wings
  • Army
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Engineers
  • Explosive Devices
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal
  • Explosives
  • Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Land Mines
  • Lessons Learned
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Operations
  • Munitions
  • Task Forces
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.