- Receive the warning order and movement order (Convoy Order).
Warning order - is issued to alert units that will participate in the planned moved. It states the general purpose of the convoy, the destination, the type of movement, and the approximate schedule.
Movement order - is issued by a convoy commander covering the details for a move of his/her command. It includes current situation; mission of the convoy; concept of operations for the movement; administrative and logistic procedures and responsibilities; and command, control, and communications assignments and techniques.
2. Identify the elements of the convoy organization and be familiar with their responsibilities.
a. A convoy is a group of vehicles organized for the purpose of control and orderly movement with or without escort protection.
b. Purpose of convoy is to ensure that troops, material, and equipment arrive at the proper place, at the proper time in effective condition to accomplish the mission.
c. Convoy Organization
1) Elements generally include: a) Transport element
- CESE to move personnel, supplies, and equipment. b) Escort and security element
c) Various support elements
(1) Refueling equipment and personnel (2) Food service support
(3) Material handling equipment (4) Medical support
d) Command and Control element includes: (1) Vehicles
(2) Communication equipment (3) Convoy chain of command
2) All convoys regardless of size are composed of at least three functional parts. a) Head
(1) First vehicle(s) in convoy
(2) This is where the pacesetter is located. Convoy commander is not usually located in the lead vehicle.
b) Main Body
- Contains vehicles carrying troops, equipment and supplies c) Trail
- Last vehicle(s) in convoy. 3) Key personnel in a convoy
b) Vehicle Commander
- Directs vehicle hardening operation and conducts immediate action drills. c) Pacesetter
(1) Placed in the lead vehicle as the head of the convoy.
(2) Maintains the rate of march necessary to meet the schedule. (3) The slowest vehicle in the convoy.
d) Trail Officer (Senior Enlisted.)
- The trail officer decides whether to recover, repair, or destroy the equipment that impedes the progress of the convoy.
e) Trail Maintenance Officer
1) Rides at the rear of the column with maintenance personnel and equipment.
2) In a small convoy, the trail officer and the trail maintenance officer may be the same individual.
f) Security Team Leader d. Convoy Movements
1) Types of Convoys
a) Administrative Convoys
1) Contact with the enemy is remote or improbable.
2) Example of administrative convoys are troops movement, general cargo movement, POL movement and ammunition movement.
b) Tactical Convoys
- The likelihood of enemy contact is the basis for tactical classification. 2) Three basic types of formations are:
a) Close column
(1) The convoy is formed as compactly as practicable
- Distances between vehicles are usually less than 80 meters. This allows for maximum command and control.
CAUTION: Close interval could lead to an easier target and bottle up convoy in the event of an ambush. Close column should not be utilized in high enemy threat conditions.
(2) Vehicles follow at the closest distance which safety, traffic conditions, and tactical situation permit.
(3) Passing through congested areas where maximum control is required.
(4) For night convoys under blackout conditions when visual contact must be maintained. b) Open Column
(1) Elements of the convoy are widely separated for passive defense and driving safety (Distances range from 80 to 100 meters).
(2) Reduce fatigue and dust conditions.
(3) Best possible compromise between requirements for maximum route use and tactical dispersion.
c) Infiltration
(1) Used primarily to provide maximum secrecy, deception, and dispersion.
(2) Accomplished by dispatching individual or small groups of vehicles over a specified route.
(3) Has much less control and drivers must be given extensive briefing concerning routes, speeds, and traffic restrictions.
e. Convoy Defense
1) Characteristics of vehicular ambushes:
a) Lasts the minimum time necessary to accomplish the mission. b) Occurs in two phases:
(1) Short period of heavy fire.
(2) Assault of the ambushed vehicles to capture equipment, complete the annihilation of personnel, and destroy vehicles.
c) Basic weapons used by the enemy are small arms. d) Mines can be used to:
(1) Disable vehicles.
e) Ambushes can happen ANYWHERE (1) Ravines
(2) Heavily wooded areas (3) Jungle covered areas (4) Villages
(5) Flat terrain which offers a minimum of cover and concealment
2) Preparation of Security Vehicles
a) Personnel must have all-around observation and fields of fire and be able to throw or fire grenades without hindrance.
b) Be able to debark from the vehicle rapidly with minimum restrictions. c) "Hardening" a vehicle provides the personnel with a degree of protection.
(1) Remove canvas, bows, windshields, and doors. (2) Tailgate is lowered to a horizontal position.
(3) A piece of pipe or metal called a "Garrote Bar" may be affixed to the front of the vehicle in a vertical position extending above the driver's head.
(a) It is used to prevent decapitation if wire is stretched across the road.
(b) If no Garrote Bar is available, remove windshield and leave windshield FRAME in place.
d) Sandbags are placed on the floorboards one layer thick.
SAFETY NOTE: Sandbags must not interfere with the safe operation of the vehicle. e) The bed of the vehicle has two layers of sandbags that are staggered.
f) On the side of the bed, sandbags are stacked five layers high and interlocked. g) Sandbag running boards, battery boxes, and fuel tanks.
3) Personnel Organization
a) A squad sized unit is the normal unit for a security vehicle.
c) Assistant driver is seated in the cab with the driver. (1) Prepared to aid the driver in controlling the vehicle.
(2) Remains with the vehicle after debarkation to act as close security except during an ambush.
(3) Does not accompany maneuvers executed by the occupant squad. d) Corner Sentries
(1) Positioned in the four corners of the vehicle bed.
(2) Each observes and covers an arc of 90 degrees. Each should be armed with automatic weapons.
(3) They fire immediately from their positions should the vehicle be ambushed. (4) Their fires cover the debarkation of the squad should the vehicle be halted in the
killing area.
(5) They are the FIRST ON the vehicle and the LAST OFF. e) Machinegun Team
(1) While with the vehicle, they should be POSITIONED FACING OUT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE.
NOTE: If this is a lead vehicle, machine gun should face forward.
(2) Must be prepared to exit quickly and provide supporting fire to the others exiting the vehicle.
f) Remaining squad personnel are positioned in the bed of the vehicle facing outboard. f. Immediate Action Upon Enemy Contact
1) Ambush
a) An ambush is nearly always an unexpected encounter.
b) Immediate action drills are simple courses of action designed to deal with the problem of unexpected encounters.
c) When vehicles in the kill zone are fired upon:
(1) A driver must pull his/her vehicle far enough forward, or off of the path of travel, to allow other vehicles to clear the kill zone. If a vehicle stops as soon as they are free of the kill zone, they risk "bottle necking" and forcing all vehicles behind them to stop in the kill zone and face decimation.
(2) Corner sentries return fire IMMEDIATELY.
(3) Vehicles halt when they clear the kill zone and personnel dismount and take IMMEDIATE action.
(a) Near ambush (50 meters or less) - Assault through ambush
(b) Far ambush (greater than 50 meters) - By keeping convoy moving, break contact d) Following vehicles approaching the kill zone:
(1) Halt short of the zone.
(2) Personnel dismount and take IMMEDIATE action against enemy position.
(3) If vehicles are ahead and out of the kill zone, personnel dismount and set up security. (4) If a HARDENED vehicle is FORCED to stop in the kill zone:
(a) ALL available weapons are used to return fire IMMEDIATELY. (b) Personnel remain in the vehicle.
(c) On first slackening of fire, personnel dismount.
(d) Personnel deploy as directed by the vehicle commander. (e) Lay down base fire to cover the dismount of the four sentries.
(f) If no cover is available after dismounting, an IMMEDIATE frontal assault may be executed.
(g) If cover is available, take cover and IMMEDIATELY build a suppression of fire and employ a maneuver element against the enemy position.
2) Air attacks
a) Air attack is a type of ambush.
b) Air threats vary from armed helicopters to high performance aircraft. c) Convoys face greatest danger of air attack while:
(1) Moving along open roads.
(2) During halts with no overhead cover.
f) Active Defense
(1) ALL weapons in the convoy fire on the aircraft. (2) The key is to put up large volumes of fire. (3) Tips for small arms air defense
(a) Lead aircraft crossing your position. (b) Take cover if possible.
(c) Support your weapons if possible. (d) Lie on your back if caught in the open. (e) Disperse
g) Passive defense
(1) Used when the convoy is without significant firepower. (2) The key is to prevent attacks by hostile aircraft by: (3) Dispersion
(4) Lookout procedures
(5) Camouflage and concealment (6) Communications security 3) Artillery or Indirect Fire
a) May be used to destroy or harass a convoy or interdict the forward movement of supplies and personnel.
b) Three defense options may be used. (1) Halt in place
(2) Continue the convoy
c) Casualties can be reduced by: (1) Increasing speed.
(2) Increasing dispersion.
(3) Wearing individual protective equipment. (4) Using the vehicle for protection.
TASK: PREPARE INDIVIDUAL COMBAT EQUIPMENT FOR TACTICAL OPERATIONS