The Countermine Center Forges Ahead
Abstract
Since Operation Desert Storm, U.S. military missions have spanned the spectrum of conflict. Those who oppose U.S. interests and objectives acknowledge that their forces would not survive a direct confrontation with our forces in conventional war. With U.S. involvement in a conflict, direct combat actions become less frequent as opponents disperse their forces and adopt tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) designed to offset our advantages. The effectiveness of this approach has been demonstrated repeatedly. In Chechnya, forces confronted with numerically or technologically superior opponents also realized that they must operate in complex terrain and urban environments to offset the advantages of their adversaries. Analyses reveal that our potential adversaries believe that denial of regional access can dictate the tempo of conflict to the U.S. disadvantage. Adversaries understand that if they attack our alliances and coalitions, they can delay the start of decisive operations and dictate the strategic tempo by frustrating U.S. and allied access. The current force is trained, equipped, and organized to breach complex linear obstacles intended to shape the battlefield. The Army s countermine capabilities were developed to breach linear obstacles. With few exceptions, all current countermine equipment in our inventory employs one of three strategies: metal detection or mechanical or explosive brute-force neutralization. While this is a critical capability that must be maintained, recent experience in multiple operations demonstrates that there is a distinct need to clear mines from an area, not just breach.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA592577
Entities
People
- Eric G. Johnson
- Jeffery P. Lamoe
Organizations
- United States Army Engineer School