Appendix C
Night Operations
Contents
SUSTAINING THE SOLDIER AND ARMING FUELING THE FORCE
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
The DISCOM commander anticipates that DISCOM units do a substantial amount of their work at night or in limited visibility. He plans for the equipment needed and the precautions necessary to perform the mission in such conditions. For these types of operations, he considers --
- Appropriating civilian buildings to reduce thermal signatures.
- Lightproofing shelters.
- Using filtered lights.
- Using night vision devices.
- Eliminating all but essential noise.
In addition, the DSA and BSA are susceptible to a night attack. This further slows down logistics and HSS activities.
Use of chemical lights maybe applicable. However, overuse of chemical lights degrades light discipline and security. Chemical lights are visible from a distance of a kilometer or more. Possible techniques include theme of--
- Chemical lights to light CP areas, eliminating generator noise and thermal signature.
- Chemical trip flares which create no fire hazard but illuminate targets, mark target reference points, or mark ranges.
- Magnetic holders to allow placement of colored chemical lights on vehicles.
- Chemical lights to illuminate areas of vehicle engine compartments for night repair.
- Chemical light holders to regulate the amount and direction of light.
SUSTAINING THE SOLDIER AND ARMING AND FUELING THE FORCE
Supply planners anticipate high consumption of batteries, flashlights, and illumination rounds during night operations by their supported units. Also units use additional fuel to run vehicle-mounted night sights.
Use of prestocked supplies requires careful coordination. Personnel should be able to find locations in limited visibility. Personnel also take care to ensure that propositioning does not signal the attack.
Use of MHE is more dangerous at night. Therefore, whenever possible during the day, personnel load supplies to be delivered at night. External SOPs require supported units to provide additional walking guides or personnel to load supplies onto trucks.
Light discipline requirements affect medical operations much as they do supply and maintenance operations, Extensive treatment operations require lightproof shelters. Patient acquisition is more difficult. Units employ some sort of casualty-marking system such as luminous tape.
Limited visibility slows evacuation. This requires additional ground ambulances to compensate. In the offense, ambulances move forward with BASS. However, personnel have to accomplish this movement carefully to avoid signaling the enemy. Personnel use predesignated AXPs and patient-collecting points. Air evacuation is difficult. It requires precise grid coordinates as well as prearranged signals and frequencies.
FIXING THE FORCE
Unless prohibited by the tactical commander, maintenance company elements work in lightproof shelters with subdued visible light. Personnel drop tarps and tentage over weapons and vehicles to provide expedient shelters. When available, they use night visions devices to repair critical items that cannot be fixed in shelters. They preposition equipment, tools, and repair parts and mark them for easy use.
BDA is difficult. Therefore, personnel place recovery vehicles forward during night attacks. They move equipment to a location where they can perform assessment more easily. Recovery personnel reconnoiter routes during daylight so they can rapidly recover vehicles to the MCP.
MOVING THE FORCE
When DISCOM units conduct night operations, each vehicle has a detailed strip map and an assistant driver. They use available night vision devices. Personnel mark MSRs clearly. Use of chemical lights is one possibility, but enemy scouts can easily move them. Using engineer tape on stakes is more secure.
Aerial resupply requires a directional light source to guide helicopters. Personnel use directional strobe lights or bean-bag lights (and in emergencies, chemical lights).
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