Military

Field Manual (FM) 21-16/Fleet Marine Force Manual (FMFM) 13-8-1 prescribes the doctrine for dealing with the unexploded ordnance (UXO) hazards on the battlefield. Use the information in this manual to teach military personnel, Department of Defense (DOD) civilians, and contractors about the UXO hazards they could meet and the procedures they can use to protect themselves. This manual also gives guidance on how to get help to take care of the hazards that affect mission capabilities.

When personnel find UXO, they must follow these steps:

UXO on the battlefield affects the mobility and mission aspects of all units. Battlefields are littered with UXO hazards from two sources: ordnance that has either failed to function or ordnance designed to be used for area denial, such as conventional land mines and the family of scatterable mines (FASCAM). With the sophistication of modern weapons systems, battlefield commanders can target anything within their theater of operations. After these attacks are completed, UXO hazards will probably be left on the battlefield.

UXO hazards may not always pose an immediate threat to unit mission or mobility, but they are hazards that have in the past caused needless loss of life and materiel. Battlefield commanders need to know where UXO hazards are, as these hazards can affect the mobility of follow-on elements. This manual teaches personnel about the UXO hazard and how this hazard affects mission capabilities and what procedures are used to report and protect personnel and equipment. All units should be able to react to the UXO hazard effectively and to report and protect against it.

During mission planning, leaders must coordinate with supporting artillery and supporting air liaison personnel to find out what areas are expected to contain large numbers of UXO. These areas should be avoided if possible. This type of planning makes a unit more mission capable.

For training to be effective, users of this manual must adopt the procedures outlined into their combat training and unit SOPs. UXO training can be conducted concurrently with all common and collective training. It can be incorporated into training in the same way as nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) training. Using the full-scale training aid package listed below, training can be conducted during land navigation, road marches, defensive/offensive operations, or force-on-force training. Preparation time is minimal; just place the training items where personnel will encounter them during normal training operations.

Evaluation of the training will depend on current mission and unit SOPs. The three most important points for the trainee to remember are the following:

• If possible, avoid the item and continue the mission.

• If avoidance is not possible, take protective measures to reduce the hazard to personnel and equipment.

• And, regardless of the action you take, report the hazard through command channels.

The following training items are available at your local training aids support center (TASC) for you to use in your unit's UXO training program: