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BOS: AIR DEFENSE

TOPIC: Employment of Air Defense Assets.

DISCUSSION: Since World War II, the U. S. has not fought an enemy with a significant offensive air capability. However, certain lessons can be gleaned from the experience of our opponents in the Vietnam War. The most lucrative targets in the jungle are command and control nodes, logistical bases, and fire support sites. Individual units are relatively more difficult to acquire and identify than fixed sites. Air defense assets, such as missiles and guns, should be used to protect fixed sites. At any rate, the rugged jungle terrain makes it nearly impossible to transport missiles and guns through the jungle. MANPADS and small arms fire should be used to protect maneuver units when passive air defense measures fail. The success of the NVA and Viet Cong in bringing down U. S. CAS aircraft and helicopters is instructive. During movement, MANPADS should be positioned where they can best cover the unit. Due to the dense jungle vegetation, that may entail moving along a ridge line on the flank of the axis of advance, travelling down a waterway, or hopping from LZ to LZ.

LESSON(S):

• Protect critical assets with missiles and guns; use MANPADS for maneuver units.
• Maneuver your MANPADS where they provide maximum coverage.
• Don't neglect passive air defense measures, such as camouflage and going to ground, when aircraft are in the vicinity.
• MANPADS and small arms fire can bring down enemy aircraft.

TOPIC: Jungle Air Defense Techniques.

DISCUSSION: Each unit should have a react-to-air-attack drill that is tailored to the jungle. The Vietnam War proved that Small Arms for Air Defense (SAFAD) works in the jungle. It also proved that passive air defense methods work as well. Reviews of historical data show that many times NVA and Viet Cong units of up to regimental size were able to maneuver freely through the jungle without being detected. Superb route selection, march discipline, and effective camouflage were the keys. Most NVA and Viet Cong units that were badly mauled by CAS were either in contact with U. S. ground forces,were crossing a danger area, or were using a road or trail. However, they almost invariably extracted a toll of downed CAS aircraft and helicopters using a combination of passive air defense and SAFAD techniques.

LESSON(S):

• Your first line of air defense is passive measures.
• Select routes that maximize concealment from aerial observation.
• Avoid trails and open areas to the maximum extent possible.
• When all else fails, use SAFAD to make the enemy account for the cost of attacking.

BOS: MOBILITY AND SURVIVABILITY

TOPIC: Employment of Engineers.

DISCUSSION: Due to the restrictive nature of jungle terrain, engineers should be well forward during a movement to contact or search-and-attack operation. When possible, an engineer squad should travel with the lead platoon. Then if an obstacle or a minefield is encountered, it can be cleared quickly. Otherwise, the unit could face a lengthy delay as the engineers work their way forward. During a deliberate attack or an attack on a fortified position, engineers should be employed in much the same manner as in any other environment. Keep in mind that combat engineers can only bring man-portable equipment. They are not mules. Concertina, chain saws, bangalore torpedoes, cratering charges, and other heavy items must be air lifted to and from a work site. Your engineers should concentrate on carrying demolitions (C-4 blocks are best) and mine detectors, remembering that they have to live out of their rucksack. On occasion, combat engineers are employed as infantry. However, keep in mind that combat engineers do not possess the firepower of infantry, nor are they nearly as well trained in infantry skills. If they must be employed as infantry, it should be in a defensive role.

LESSON(S):

• Remember the load limitations of your engineers.
• Demolitions and mine detectors are the minimum essential tools that the engineers must carry.
• During movement to contact/search and attack, have your engineers well forward.
• Make sure your engineers are included in your hasty attack battle drills.
• Avoid employing engineers as infantry.

TOPIC: Mobility Tasks.

DISCUSSION: During offensive operations, mobility is the focus of engineering efforts. Although combat engineer units possess engineering expertise, they lack significant amounts of construction equipment. In the jungle, most of their equipment is limited to what they can carry in their rucksacks. For jungle operations, the LZ/PZ clearing is the most important activity. An engineer platoon can create a rough one-ship LZ/PZ using demolitions and organic equipment. Then, chain saws and other equipment could be lifted in to allow further expansion of the LZ/PZ. Mines and boobytraps are easy to conceal in the thick jungle foliage. As a result, clearing minefields and boobytraps is probably the most common combat engineer task in the jungle. The expertise provided by engineers is a real life saver, provided they are far enough forward to reach the mines and/or boobytraps quickly. The jungle abounds in natural barrier material. Also depending upon the enemy, breaching obstacles can be a common activity. Although combat engineer units possess basic engineer skills, they lack the skills and equipment for extensive road construction projects. However, combat engineers do have the skills to construct foot bridges across the numerous streams and small rivers encountered in the jungle. In addition, they are capable of simple roadway repair and maintenance. Anything greater will require the employment of specialized engineer units.

LESSON(S):

• Engineers can enhance your mobility in the jungle by creating or improving LZ/PZs.
• Combat engineers lack the equipment and expertise to undertake major bridging or road repair projects.

TOPIC: Countermobility Tasks.

DISCUSSION: Engineers perform countermobility tasks both during offensive and defensive operations. Engineers can emplace obstacles to deny the enemy the use of small waterways. Subsurface wire entanglements are particularly effective. They can also construct obstacles to channel the movement of personnel at checkpoints or roadblocks during population and resource control operations. During the defense, the engineers can emplace obstacles and minefields to protect battle positions and key installations. Although concertina is a very effective type of wire for obstacles, barbed wire in rolls can be man-packed through the jungle, while concertina cannot. If you rely on concertina, the engineers will have to wait for it to be delivered. When time is critical, barbed wire in rolls is the solution. In any countermobility task, the best way to speed work is to use the engineers as supervisors.

LESSON(S):

• Use subsurface wire entanglements to block small waterways.
• Use barbed wire in rolls for hasty countermobility tasks.
• You can't hump concertina through the jungle. It is both too bulky and too heavy.
• Use your engineers as supervisors during countermobility tasks; it speeds up the work.

TOPIC: Mines and Boobytraps.

DISCUSSION: Due to the dense vegetation of the jungle, it is very easy for troops to become misoriented and blunder into their own minefield. This is a problem that surfaces during offensive as well as defensive operations. It is imperative that the engineers record, report, and recover mines and boobytraps. In essence, the engineer element leader can be the clearing house for such information. Also, the engineers should employ a simple method of marking mines and boobytraps. The marking system should be by the supported unit's SOP. If the supported unit does not have one, the engineers should devise one. It should then be disseminated through the supported unit's chain of command. A single strand or barbed wire around the minefield is very effective as a marker. It also allows the engineers to lay out dummy minefields as part of the obstacle plan. Additionally, it speeds recovery of the mines by delineating the minefield.

LESSON(S):

• Engineers should record, report, and recover mines and boobytraps.
• The engineer element leader can serve as the point of contact for information about minefields in the unit AO.
• Minefields must be marked by a simple method to prevent fratricide.
• A single strand of barbed wire around the minefield aids in recovering the mines.

TOPIC: Survivability Tasks.

DISCUSSION: Survivability tasks are most commonly performed during defensive operations. Through the use of cratering charges, demolitions, chain saws, and locally available materials, engineers can quickly construct formidable bunkers. Additionally, they can supervise the clearing of fields of fire and the construction of trenches, fighting positions, gun emplacements, and wire obstacles. However, the design and construction of complex structures are generally beyond their capabilities.

LESSON(S):

• Use engineers to supervise the execution of survivability tasks.
• Plan to supplement the engineers with pioneer tools and cratering charges to speed construction efforts.

Section I, Part III

Section I, Part V