Military

TOPIC: Surface Reconnaissance (Weather Planning)

DISCUSSION: Weather conditions, especially temperature, can vary greatly from daytime to nighttime. LP/OP teams must balance the need to "travel light" with the need for sufficiently warm clothing.

LESSON(S): Include predicted weather data in the intelligence annex to the operations order, with a final update provided immediately before deployment. Accordingly, LPs/OPs should deploy with appropriate clothing and equipment. Consider the adverse effects of extremely cold or hot weather on battery life during logistical planning.

TOPIC: Surface Reconnaissance (Airports/Airfields)

DISCUSSION: Many airports/airfields have changed since map publication. Some airstrips are no longer in use, some are not shown or listed. Many nonairfield areas offer grassy areas or secondary roads easily used for hasty landings and takeoffs.

LESSON(S): Signs of aircraft activity include landing markers, radio antennae, high-wire balls, and wind socks. Touchdown skid marks are another indication of aircraft landings. The presence of these indicators at unmarked/unrecorded airfields may point to covert use of illegal trafficking activities. Multiple reconnaissance missions can prove useful in identifying patterns of air movement.

TOPIC: Surface Reconnaissance (Marijuana Eradication)

DISCUSSION: Marijuana eradication operations often require the use of aircraft in remote areas for extended periods. Such operations usually take place away from unit aircraft maintenance facilities. The absence of aircraft for refueling or repair of minor deficiencies can severely degrade operations.

LESSON(S):

• Include an individual (pilot in command or crew chief) who is command-designated to downgrade status symbols to sign off minor deficiencies during remote missions.

• Use refuelers to support aircraft during extended operations.

TOPIC: Aerial Reconnaissance (Marijuana Eradication)

DISCUSSION: Marijuana growing sites are often located in rugged terrain that makes land navigation difficult and restricts line of sight to cultivation plots. In these situations, ground eradication teams often have difficulty finding cultivation sites which were spotted from the air.

LESSON(S): Several solutions identified to this problem have drawbacks, but have been found to be successful:

• Using Global Positioning Systems (GPSs) makes possible the precise identification of ground locations from the air and greatly aids land navigation to sites identified. GPSs may not be a practical solution due to lack of the equipment.

• Having aerial observers remain in the air to direct ground crews to marijuana locations is effective, but the extra flight hours consumes a great deal of time and expense.

• Rappeling eradication teams into marijuana sites seems to be a highly effective method; however, this technique requires special training of air crews and ground teams -- plus, it presents a high safety risk.

TOPIC: Aerial Reconnaissance Scheduling

DISCUSSION: Aerial reconnaissance flight hours were devoted to searching for marijuana cultivation during periods when plants were too small to observe from the air. No plants were spotted during these missions.

LESSON(S):

• The local growing season should be considered when scheduling aerial reconnaissance for marijuana. In many areas aerial reconnaissance is a waste of time before the growing season and after the harvest.

• In some cases, however, early aerial reconnaissance can identify green houses and signs of construction which may indicate illegal cultivation.

• Analysis of the growing season and the modes of operation used by growers (use of greenhouses, irrigation systems, etc.) should be a standard part of the intelligence preparation conducted prior to aerial reconnaissance.

TOPIC: Marijuana Identification

DISCUSSION: Identifying marijuana from the air is very difficult. Untrained observers often miss growing sites which might have been noticed by more experienced personnel. Aerial observers often required special training in marijuana spotting to be efficient at the job. Even with trained observers, verification of marijuana plots often requires aircraft to drop below 500' AGL.

LESSON(S):

• Arrange for training in the identification of marijuana by contacting the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s local Cannabis Coordinator.

• The need to fly below 500' AGL may rule out the use of fixed-wing aircraft for reconnaissance of potential marijuana sites.

• Flying below 500' AGL may result in the aircraft being fired upon by marijuana growers.

TOPIC: Aerial Reconnaissance Operational Security (OPSEC)

DISCUSSION: Some operation plans called for aerial reconnaissance of marijuana locations several days prior to eradication operations. When ground teams arrived on site to destroy gardens, the cannabis had already been harvested.

LESSON(S): OPSEC, deception operations, and timely followup with eradication of identified sites are an especially important part of aerial reconnaissance plans. Growers may be tipped off and harvest their marijuana before eradication takes place. Also, if arrests are planned as a part of eradication operations, aerial reconnaissance may spook growers away from their plots.

TOPIC: Aerial Photo Reconnaissance

DISCUSSION: Military personnel coordinated to provide aerial photo reconnaissance for a low enforcement agency in support of marijuana eradication operations. After processing, the photos were provided directly to the LEA. Marijuana patches were visible in the photographs, but weren't recognized because the law enforcement personnel were not trained in photo interpretation.

LESSON(S): The use of military aerial photography should always include arrangements for photo interpretation by qualified personnel.

TOPIC: Air-to-Ground Communications

DISCUSSION: While conducting aerial reconnaissance in support of ground eradication teams, an aircrew spotted additional cultivation sites. This information could not be transmitted to the ground team because the aircraft's FM radios were only equipped with military frequencies while the ground teams used only law enforcement radios which operated on different frequencies.

LESSON(S): Eradication operations using aerial reconnaissance should plan for ground-to-air communications.

TOPIC: Communications, General

DISCUSSION: The most frequent problem mentioned in AARs is poor communications. Use of incompatible military and law enforcement radios and insufficient range for the terrain and size of the area of operations are common problems.

LESSON(S):

• Communications planners from both the supported LEA and the military unit providing support must be brought in at the very beginning of the planning process.

• Wide variations in equipment and the factors of Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Time, and Troops (METT-T) available for each mission make it impossible to develop a standard communications solution.

• Techniques found useful in many operations include:
  • Using LEA radios by military personnel supporting the operation.
  • Providing military radios to LEA officers.
  • Developing a communications plan that provides critical nodes to link LEA and military systems.
  • It has been found that the use of cellular phones and pagers are reliable tools to improve communications.

TOPIC: Communications Security (COMSEC)

DISCUSSION: The use of secure communications requires special equipment and reduces radio range. Because of these difficulties, communications during counterdrug operations are often conducted in the clear and thus are subject to compromise. Drug traffickers have been found to utilize scanners and sophisticated signal intelligence (SIGINT) methods which enable them to discover and avoid interdiction efforts.

LESSON(S):

• An assessment of the SIGINT threat should be part of the intelligence estimate developed for every counterdrug operation.

• Communications and operations planners must weigh the tradeoffs between COMSEC and the potential reduction in equipment availability and capabilities for each operation.

• Use of nonsecure communications may make interdiction efforts ineffective.

TOPIC: Language Support

DISCUSSION: Language skills are often a valuable asset military personnel can bring to counterdrug operations. During a mission providing support to U.S. Customs in the conduct of mail searches, a soldier translated a note written in Farsi that described a hidden compartment containing drugs in a furniture shipment. This information resulted in a seizure. In another mission, National Guard support of the U.S. Border Patrol resulted in the apprehension of an individual who spoke only Chinese. A quick-thinking soldier called a Chinese language professor at the local college who then provided translation over the phone.

LESSON(S):

• Plans, Operations, and Military Support Officers (POMSOs) or Coordinators should maintain a list of National Guard personnel with special language skills.

• Depending on the demand for translation support, States' Adjutant Generals may wish to create a centralized translation "lab."

TOPIC: Logistics Support

DISCUSSION: Some personnel providing counterdrug support lived within a 50-mile radius of the operation while others did not. This disparity resulted in some team members staying in a hotel while others had to drive for an hour to get home at the conclusion of a 16-hour duty shift. The travel time to and from the duty location forced the commander to either alter the mission plan or accept a safety risk in allowing personnel to operate with little sleep.

LESSON(S): There are two possible logistic solutions to this problem:

• If lodging is contracted for the team, no reimbursement through a DD Form 1351-2 is necessary, and military personnel within the 50-mile radius may use the contracted quarters.

• If the commander so determines, the use of commercial lodging within the 50-mile radius can be authorized by including the following statement on orders as appropriate: "Lodging is authorized within the 50-mile radius due to operational necessity and the convenience of the government."

TOPIC: Logistics (OPSEC)

DISCUSSION: Personnel conducting counterdrug operations often use civilian rental vehicles. These vehicles are usually in brand-new condition with an "official" appearance that can degrade OPSEC. Most cities have "low-end" rental car companies that specialize in renting used vehicles. Counterdrug personnel may wish to rent used cars for transportation when OPSEC is an issue. Another OPSEC method to consider is to remove license plate frames and company stickers from rental vehicles.

LESSON(S): Consider OPSEC when making rental car arrangements.

TOPIC: Logistics (Rental Car Contracts)

DISCUSSION: After experiencing mechanical problems, personnel using a rental vehicle in a counterdrug mission took the vehicle directly into a repair shop without first contacting the vendor. Because this procedure violated the rental contract, the vendor refused to pay the costs of the repairs.

LESSON(S): Develop SOPs on the use of rental vehicles -- brief drivers on these procedures. Include the following subjects: insurance and civilian driver's license requirements; where to get fuel and how to pay for it; what to do if the vehicle breaks down; definitions of appropriate or "official" uses (for example, can staff members use a rental car to go to lunch? sick call? scheduled medical appointments?); and what to do in case of an accident.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 2: Counterdrug Operations in South America