Prior to departure, work out with the artillery three or four easily recognizable target reference points (TRPs). Arrange to communicate directly with the artillery to get rapid action on requests for smoke (for orientation) and supporting fire.

From a Company First Sergeant

I recommend all squad leaders and platoon leaders carry binoculars with the mil reticule. Countless times team leaders and squad leaders had the opportunity to call in mortars and the binoculars are needed. More importantly is that leaders and soldiers know how to use them. Contrary to popular belief it’s not the platoon leader who’s going to call it in, it’s the soldier in the position who will. Range estimation is probably the most important or critical thing you do. If you close on your estimation you’ll get the target. We all carried in 2 mortar rounds apiece and that was more than enough. We took a mix of everything; the only thing we used was WP [white phosphorus] and HE [high-explosive]. All together our company took in at least 120 rounds.

11

Camouflage, Concealment, and Decoys

Camouflage, concealment, and decoys (CCD) all involve the use of materials and techniques to hide, blend, disguise, decoy, or disrupt the appearance of military targets and/or their backgrounds. CCD helps prevent an enemy from detecting or identifying friendly troops, equipment, activities, or installations. Properly designed CCD techniques take advantage of the immediate environment and natural and artificial materials. Good CCD is an action that makes soldiers, equipment, and units difficult to locate.

Each soldier is responsible for camouflaging himself, his equipment, and his position. CCD reduces the probability of an enemy placing aimed fire on a soldier. The soldier uses natural and artificial materials for CCD. Natural CCD includes defilade, grass, bushes, trees, and shadows. Artificial CCD for soldiers includes battle dress uniforms (BDUs), lightweight camouflage nets, skin paint, and natural materials removed from their original positions. To be effective, artificial CCD must blend with the natural background.

Noise, movement, and light discipline all contribute to individual CCD. Effective noise discipline muffles and eliminates sounds made by soldiers and their equipment. Movement discipline minimizes movement within and between positions and limits movement to routes that cannot be readily observed by the enemy. Light discipline controls the use of lights at night, such as not smoking in the open or not walking around with a lit flashlight.

Dispersal, the spreading of soldiers and equipment over a wide area, is a key individual survival technique. It creates a smaller target mass for enemy sensors and weapon systems. Dispersal, therefore, not only reduces casualties and losses in the event of an attack but also makes enemy detection efforts more difficult.

CCD CONSIDERATIONS

Soldiers should consider the following when practicing CCD.

Movement

Movement draws attention, whether it involves vehicles on the road or individuals walking around. The naked eye—as well as infrared and radar sensors—can detect movement. Soldiers should minimize movement while they are in the open. They should remember that darkness does not prevent observation by an enemy equipped with modern sensors. When movement is necessary, slow, smooth movement attracts less attention than quick, irregular movement.

Shape

The soldier should use CCD materials to break up the shapes, outlines, and shadows of positions and equipment, as all three are revealing. Since shadows can visually mask objects, soldiers should stay in shadows whenever possible, especially when moving. When conducting operations close to the enemy, disguise or distort the shape of the helmet and the human body with artificial camouflage materials, as these forms are easily recognized by the enemy at close range.

Shine and Light

Pay particular attention to gloss and shine, which can also attract attention and are caused by light reflecting from smooth or polished surfaces, such as mess kits, mirrors, eyeglasses, watch crystals, windshields, and starched uniforms. Plastic map cases, dust goggles worn on top of the helmet, and clear plastic garbage bags also reflect light almost as well as windshields and mirrors. Cover or remove these items from exposed areas.

Vehicle headlights, taillights, and safety reflectors reflect not only light but also laser energy used in weapon systems. Cover this equipment when the vehicle is not in operation. Red filters on vehicle dome lights and flashlights, while designed to protect the soldier’s night vision, are extremely sensitive to detection by night vision devices. A tank’s red dome light, reflecting off the walls and out through the sight and vision blocks, can be seen from as far away as 4 kilometers with a starlight scope.

Flashlights with red lenses, as well as cigarettes and pipes, are equally observable. To reduce the chances of detection, soldiers should replace red with blue-green filters and practice strict light discipline. Soldiers should also use measures to prevent shine at night—moonlight and starlight can be reflected as easily as sunlight.

Color

The contrast of skin, uniforms, and equipment with the background helps the enemy detect opposing forces. Individual CCD should blend with the surroundings; at a minimum, objects must not contrast with the background. Therefore, the proper camouflage technique is to blend colors with the background or to hide objects with contrasting colors.

CCD EMPLOYMENT

Before applying CCD to themselves, their equipment, and their positions, soldiers should study the nearby terrain and vegetation. Their reconnaissance should incorporate an analysis of the CCD considerations listed above. They then choose the CCD materials that best blend with the area. When moving from one area to another, they change CCD as required. What works well in one location may draw fire in another.

Skin

Exposed skin, even very dark skin, reflects light. CCD paint sticks cover these oils and provide blending with the background. Avoid using oils or insect repellent to soften the paint stick because doing so defeats the purpose by making the skin shiny. Soldiers applying CCD paint should work in pairs and help each other. Self-application may leave gaps, such as behind the ears. Paint high, shiny areas (forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears, and chin) a dark color. Paint low, shadowed areas a light color. Paint the exposed skin on the back of the neck, arms, and hands with an irregular pattern. When CCD paint sticks are not available, use field expedients such as burnt cork, bark, charcoal, lampblack, or mud. Mud contains bacteria, so consider it a last priority for field-expedient paint.

Uniform

ACUs and MultiCam have a CCD pattern but can require additional camouflage, especially when operating very close to the enemy. Soldiers should attach leaves, grass, small branches, or pieces of lightweight camouflage screening system (LCSS) to their uniforms and helmets. These items assist in distorting the shape of the soldier and in blending colors with the natural background. The ACU provides visual as well as near-infrared (NIR) CCD. Do not starch ACUs; doing so counters the infrared properties of the dyes. Replace excessively faded and worn ACUs, because they lose their CCD effectiveness as they wear.

Equipment

Soldiers should inspect their personal equipment to ensure that shiny items are covered or removed. Take corrective action on items that rattle or make other noises when moved or worn. Soldiers assigned equipment such as vehicles or generators should be knowledgeable of their appropriate CCD techniques.