Engineers and the Envlmnment 

By Major General Joe N. Ballard 

Commandant, U.S. Army Engineer School 

As I reflect on my tenure as Commandant of the 

U.S. Army Engineer Center and Commanding 

General of Fort Leonard Wood, I have never been 

more impressed with the professionalism and vitality 

of our Engineer Regiment. At the recent ENFORCE 

XXI Conference, we demonstrated that the Corps of 

Engineers is an integral part of the combined arms 

team and a key contributor to the combat support and 

combat service support realms. The regiment has 

clearly demonstrated its lethal capabilities and its 

versatility to perform operations other than war, often 

providing humanitarian assistance for those in need. 

We are genuinely committed to our role as a force 

multiplier on a global scale, and I'm proud of our regiment's tremendous accomplishments. 

Let me explain what is happening at your Engineer 

Center. As the Army downsizes and restructures, we 

too are reorganizing. Change is necessary and critical 

to our growth and development as the Army's cornerstone to learning. We are emerging as a TRADOC 

Center for Excellence and the Army's premier Force 

XXI training center, and we continue to focus our resources on three critical areas: training soldiers, developing leaders, and writing doctrine. Bold, new concepts and technology allow us to promote and 

support the emerging Force XXI with advanced warfighting experiments and the experimental force. We 

are not just participants in this great endeavor. Engilneers are breaching the berm and leading the Army 

on the journey into the 21st century. 

The Corps of Engineers continues to offer unique 

opportunities for those who desire to be on the cutting 

edge. The Engineer School has become a tremendous resource to commanders and engineers in the 

field. We have contributed personnel and expertise for 

virtually every major Army deployment to complement 

force projection packages: topographic engineers for 

the United Nations Protection Forces in the former 

Yugoslavia; mine experts for the Red Cross' mineremoval efforts worldwide; nation assistance for our 

continuing presence in Honduras: and a vast array of 

resources for Uphold Democracy in Haiti (including 

BG Phil Anderson, our Deputy Commanding General). We will continue to provide this kind of support 

to both our Army and our sister services. Nowhere 

else will you be exposed to such great opportunities 

than at the Engineer Center. 

Our continued focus must be on how the Engineer 

Regiment will develop and modernize over the next 

10 years. In the past we let technology drive strategy. 

Today our strategy drives technology. Part of ourmodernization is the Classroom XXI initiative, which allows us the use of rapidly evolving technology. Imagine attending the Engineer Officer Advanced Course 

(EOAC) or Advanced Noncommissioned Officer 

Course (ANCOC) via distance-learning, while you are 

deployed around the world. Classroom XXI will ultimately allow us to provide doctrinal tools, simulations. 

and instructional products to engineer units around 

the world using a real-time information platform. We 

must continue to capitalize on new ideas, make improvements, and excel as engineers traditionally have. 

Fort Leonard Wood has also led the Army by assuming new roles and missions. We have been designated as TRADOC's agent for integrating environmental considerations into Army training and doctrine 

(see article on page 2). Implementation of the lnterservice Training Organization (ITRO) is well under 

way, with the Civil/Construction Engineer Study in the 

execution phase. We have successfully integrated marines, sailors, and airmen into the Fort Leonard Wood 

training community. The Army's initiative to consolidate schools and installations will continue with the 

eventual move and consolidation of the U.S. Army 

Chemical and Military Police Schools at Fort Leonard 

Wood. These initiatives will change our status from 

the Center for Engineering to a "Center for Maneuver 

Support"-with unique capabilities and diverse resources to support the total Army. 

As we struggle to balance the many challenges set 

before us, we are committed to maintaining a robust 

and capable engineer force. The Engineer Regiment 

will meet these challenges with strength and courage, 

as it has met challenges throughout our rich history 

since 1775. 1 am reassured in the knowledge that the 

regiment gains a great leader in Major General Clair 

F. Gill, who became your new Commandant on 24 

June 1995. My best wishes to MG Gill, members of 

the Fort Leonard Wood community, and the entire 

Engineer Regiment. Let us tcy! ESSAYONS! 
8 

August -	 1995 	 ~ 	 Headquarters, -~ Department of the Army Volume ~~ 24 PB. 5-95-3

UNITED STATES ARMY ' FEATURES 

ENGINEER CENTER AND 2 Soldiers and the Environment: Integrating Environmental 

FORT LEONARD WOOD Considerations Into Training and Doctrine 

by Major David Neeley and Captain Richard Heitkamp i 

COMMANDERICOMMANDANT 8 We're All Terrain Experts 

Major General Joe N. Ballard by Captain David L. Treleaven 

13 	Interview With Major General Joe N. Ballard 

by Catherine Eubanks 

MANAGING EDITOR 	 20 Joint Task Force Headquarters Staff Engineer Operations Catherine Eubanks by Lieutenant Colonel Michael C. Langley 

FEATURES EDITOR 	 25 The United Nations Mission in Haiti 

Shirley Bridges 	 1 by Lieutenant Co,one, Robert L. McCIure 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 30 Air Force Civil Engineers: Building Air Power's Foundation 

Jennifer C. Bolyard by Dr. Ronald B. Haitzer 

36 	Dynamic Improvements at the National Training Center 

by Major Tom Buning By Order of the Secretary of the Army: 

40 TOC Operations: lntegrating the Engineer Operations Cell 

DENNIS J. REIMER Into the Battalion Task Force TOC 

General, United States Army 	 I by Captain Thomas L. Sands, Jr. 

Chief of Staff 49 ltschner Xme is Near: Are You Ready? 

Gfficiai: by Captain James Rosenberry 

52 	Maintaining the Tank Mine-Clearing Plow 

by Captain John T Ryan, Captain f?Kevin Dixson, and 

Sergeant First Class James L. Richardson JOEL B. HUDSON i 54 Route-Clearance Operations Acting Administrative Assistant to the 

Secretary of the Army by Captain John K. Leighow 

03493 

1 

Front Cover photo: A mechanic prepares Inside Front Cover: Clear the Way for an annual service on an Army motor ve- 19 Personal Viewpoint 46 Lessons Learned hide. He has ensured that environmental 

protection devices, such as drippans filled 24 Engineer Problem 52. Engineer Update 

with absorbant material, are in ~iak to catch 1 38 CTC Notes 65 Bridge the Gap 

potential spills. Photo by Jim Anderson 1 45 Engineer Solution 

ENGINEER OSSN 004618890) is prepared quarterly by me U.S. Army Engi- Vlews expressed are mose of the sumor and not mase of me Oepament ot Deneer School. ATTN: ATSE-TO-DEB, Fort Leonard Wood, MO 854736650. Sec- fense or in elemenu The contenb do not necessary reflect onicial US. Any 

ond Clsss postage is paid st Fort Leonard Wood. MO, and additional maillng pmido~s,and do not change or rupensds Information in other il S Army pubil. 

onlces. cations. Use of news (terns constitutes neimer mrmatlon of melr accuracy 

nor product endorssmem ENGINEER resewas We rlght to edit m~lierlai POSTMASTER; Send address changes to ENGINEER, the Pmfesslonai BullsUn tor Army Engineers. ATTN: ATSE-TD-O-EB, Fon Leonard Wwd, MO 65473- CONTENT is not sopyrigMed. Metsrlai may be reprinfed it credit is given to 

6650. ENGINEER snd m e author. 

CORRESPONDENCE, lettsrs to he editor. manuscripu. photographs, oficid OFFICIAL DiSTRlBUnON Is targeted to all engineer and englneenelatsd 

unlt requests to reeetvs copies, and unit address changes should be sent to EN- units. 

GINEER, at the pieceding address. Telephone: (314) 563-4104. DSN 676-4104. PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS are avsliable by eantacsng me Superintendent 

DISCLAIMER: ENGINEER presenis pmfe~sionai information designed to keep of Docurnenh, PO. Sax 3719%. Pimburgh. PA 15250-7950, Address changes 

Army engineers informed of current and emerging developments wimm meir ar- for penonei subsctipuonr should also be sent to me Superintendent of 

eeo at expertise for the purpose of enhsnclng mei profersonal development Oacumenu. 
Soldiers and the%Environment: 

Integrating Environmental Considerations 

Into Training and Doctrine 

By Major David Neeley and Captain Richard Heitkamp 

A,dramatic change is taking place across the untry. The beliefs and values of the nation 

are turning green-not OD green but environmental green. The changes are visible in trends 

such as local recycling programs, public-health consciousness, consumer preference, and tough new environmental laws. The term "environmentally safe" 

has become the new buzzword for product marketing. U.S.citizens have developed an environmental 

ethic that is reflected as a national value. As a logical extension of this ethic, the American people require their Army to protect the increasingly fragile 

and vulnerable natural environment-in training in 

operations other than war; and, to the extent feasible, 

in mmbat. 

For years, the belief within the Department of 

Defense and private industry was that nature would 

take care of itself. This belief, in conjunction with 

the overriding requirements for two world wars, 

numerous armed conflicts, and the ever-persistent 

threat of communism, resulted in the testing, development, and production of hazardous substances. 

In the past, we paid little attention to how military operations and facilities affected the environment. We now realize that water and air pollution, 

training area abuse, and mismanagement of hazardous wastes at Army installations represent very 

real costs, in terms of lost training areas, land reclamation, state and federal noncompliance fines, and 

negative public opinion. All of these detractors contribute to decreased training readiness. 

The events that led to the Army's environmental 

program and a capstone picture of TRADOC's integration strategy are described in this article. It explains the Engineer School's role and briefly discusses training products currently available. A Using an anached brush-hose, a soldier washes equipment in a future article will highlight how this program will sink designed lo trap hazardous waste material. affect junior officers and NCOs and the products 

2 Engineer August 1995 
This waste fuel container houses hazardous waste rnaleriai at Fon Leonard Wood 

developed to guide them through their environ- way we do busings. And, to decrease the number of 

mental challenges. environmental detractors, we must integrate environmental awareness into the wav we do business. 

Commander's Intent 

The U.S. Army Environmental Strategy Into the2Ist Century, the Army's concept for environmental excellence, was signed by the-Secretary and 

the Chief of Staff of the Armv in November 1992. 

The cover letter states: 

Leadership is the key to success. Each of you 

in the chain of command is responsible for ensuring that the US. Army's environmental strategy 

is implemented and that environmental stewardship is an integral part of everything YOU &. 

The strategy provides policy and objectives in the 

various areas of environmental stewardship as well 

as a vision for the future. It also identifies six critical elements for success. Four of these elements provide direction pertinent to doctrine and training and 

are discussed in this article: 

m Commit the chain of command 

Organize for success 

Spread the environmental ethic. 

Train and educate the force. 

Commit the Chain of Command. Guidance 

from the senior leadership is clear and sufficient. 

The Chief of Staff has committed the chain of command to this mission. 

An analogy can be made to the Army safety program. The sums of the safety program, as with the 

environmental program, hinges on the commitment of 

the chain of command. Safety briefings did not solve 

the Army's safety problems. The number of safetyrelated incidents did not decrease until safety became 

a commander's program and was integrated into the 

Organize for Success. In 1963, TRADOC designated the U.S.Army Engineer School as the executive agent "for the development and integration of 

environmental doctrine and training as they apply 

to tactical units and the Army in the field." The 

Engineer School coordinated with DA-level environmental staff, TRADOC, and all other service schools to 

outline a plan for standardized environmental taskbased training and doctrine. The resulting TRADOC 

Environmental Action Plan delineated five steps: 

Establish procedures for incorporating environmental protection and enhancement into Army 

doctrine. 

Determine requirements for environmental 

training programs. 

Determine procedures for conducting individual 

and collective environmental task analysis. 

Determine resources needed to implement the 

plan. 

Establish milestones. 

As TRADOCk executive agent, the Engineer 

School's mission is to take the action plan and determine the what, where, when, and how soldiers will 

be trained. 

What (doctrine and specific tasks). 

Where (resident, nonresident, unit sustainment). 

When (level of military education). 

How (type of instruction) 

Spread the Environmental Ethic. Field Manual (FM) 22-100, Military Leadership, defines ethics 

as "principles or standards that guide professionals 

to do the moral or right thing which should be done." 

Aiigirsf 1995 Engineer 3 
ENVIRONMENTAL 


DILEMMA 


- En*lro"".mrol 

l.4-r 

+ Ca".mmdlon 

.bwirolnratd 

Prolrol,ii 

Operaling yo,,r 

values 

- Pdde in Un~ 

.€..r;rom"tlll 

*xarmr.. 

Stewardship is a key element of the Army's environmental ethic. Our Army is charged with protecting and defending the nation, to include safeguarding the environment. In addition, the Army has been 

entrusted with large land areas and many other resources. The American people expect the Army to exercise good judgment in the use and management of 

those resources; they expect the Army to be a good 

steward of the assets entrusted to it. 

Environmental stewardship can be achieved only 

if natural and cultural resource concerns are integrated into the Army decision-making process. Army 

operations and strategies must include these concerns from the outset so that environmental issues 

are identified and resolved quickly. 

FM 22-100 describes an ethical decision-making 

process to assist leaders in identiking courses of action that will result in the greatest moral good. All soldiers are taught ethical decision making, the goal is to 

link environmental stewardship to this process.The 

model above, the core of which comes from FM 22-

100, illustrates that linkage. If environmental considerations are superimposed, the model offers resolution 

of an environmental dilemma. For example, a leader 

may consider digging a fighting position near the habitat of a protected species or a soldier may mnsider 

dumping waste oil on the ground rather than taking it 

to an approved collection site. In both cases, the individual weighs the factors represented in the above 

model. By making environmental ethics a key part 

of each factor, soldiers will he prepared to achieve 

an ethical solution that results in environmental 

stewardship. This issue's Engineer Problem1 

Solution provides a detailed example (see page 24). 

Accom,.nrkrn, 

.URU Rednear 

Dain and Educate the Force. This imperative 

is the thrust of the environmental program. In developing a strategy to accomplish this element, the Engineer School looked at both "quick fixes" and longrange remedies. Since training initiatives take 

several years to produce and implement, they are 

not quick fixes but serve as immediate environmental guidance until dodrine can be influenced, 

written, revised, and published. 

Doctrinal Integration 

Environmental issues play an ever-increasing 

role on the battlefield, and they are becoming 

even more significant in conducting operations other 

than war. Army battalions now face an incredible 

mix of operational requirements. Recent deployments have placed small units and junior leaders in 

critical situations where there are no rules and personal judgment is the only guide. For these reasons, 

the Army must provide environmental guidance in 

every level of dodrine. 

In the same way that the Army ensures that its 

commanden are not distracted from their battlefield 

duties by the Hague and Geneva Conventions, it 

must train them to abide by international laws pertaining to envirqpmental protection on the battlefields of the 21st century. 

The strategic end state may include leaving behind 

improved environmental mnditiom or at least minimizing the environmental impact of the mission, especially for operations other than war. For strategic 

reasons, therefore, the Army must be capable of 

operating with minimal environmental impacts. 
Caastone Intepration -

T'he Army published an environmental strate0 

in 1992. but it did not connect environmental 

recpirements in garrison with those in operational 

doctrine. To make this critical connection, the Engineer School developed a White Paper titled Enuironmental Considerations in Arnzy Operational Doctrine, which was distributed Armywide for comments. Based on the input received, we will rewrite 

it as doctrinal guidance for the Army's service 

schools and doctrine developers. Information in the 

White Paper eventually will be included in the 

Army's capstone doctrine manuals. 

Army operational doctrine is comprehensive. It integrates hundreds of subjects into a tightly crafted 

collection of writings that provides guidance to soldiers at every level. Mapping the requirements of 

the Army's environmental strategy into operational 

doctrine will entail a gradual process of introducing 

concepts and norms into keystone and capstone doctrine manuals, while simultaneously developing specific requirements in proponent publications. 

To fully integrate environmental considerations 

into Army planning, training, and operations, they 

must be incorporated into capstone field manuals at 

the appropriate levels. The manuals will drive subordinate doctrine, provide the impetus for training 

and professional education, and begin the long-term 

process of preparing for the environmental requirements of the ilst century 

FM 100-5. O~erations. This kevstone ooera, . A 


tional doctrine underpins all of the krmy2s doctrine, 

training, leader development, organization, materiel, 

and soldier concerns. Environmental values and 

considerations should be included in the view of war, 

the strategic context, the training and readiness 

challenge, operations other than war, and the physical dimension of combat. 

FM 100-1, The Army. Definitions of the Army 

environmental ethic and environmental considerations belong in this source book for strategic 

doctrine. 

FM22-100, Military Leadership. This manual 

should discuss the environmental component of ethical leadership. 

FM 25-100,Paining the Force and FM &--101, 

Paining the Force: Battle Focus 'Paining. The 

Army's training function is directly affected by environmental factors. The training management cycle 

should include segments on land and endangered 

species management, range restrictions, training 

area carrying capacity, and noise. 

FM 100-10, Combat Service Sr~pport. Supply, 

maintenance, and field service-support activities generate large quantities of waste. Petroleum, oil, and 

lubricant storage and distribution systems are 

especially likely to cause environmental problems. 

Logistical planning includes many aspects of environmental operations such as health service support 

and waste disposal. 

FM 101-5, Staff Organizations and Operations. The National Environmental Policy Act 

(KEPA) must be incorporated into the Army's decision-making process. Almost all staff elements have 

some environmental planning and oversight responsibilities; these must be listed and their environmental functions integrated. 

Doctrine for the Small-Unit Leader 

While accessing capstone doctrine is vital to 

fully integrate environmental concerns into 

doctrine, the Army's small-unit leaders need guidance on how to face their ever-growing list of environmental considerations. They need a basic resource to help them make sound decisions about 

how their training will affect the environment. To 

meet this need, the Engineer School recently released Training Circular (TC) 5-400, Unit Leaders' 

Handbook for Environmental Stewardship. It provides a general perspective of what the environment 

is and why it is a major factor in the decision-making process. The handbook also describes steps that 

leaders and soldiers can take to ensure that they 

comply with the environmental goals and policies of 

the Army and the numerous local, state, and federal 

laws and regulations. TC 5-400 is called the "Dash 

10" of environmental considerations because it delineates the before, during, and after checks for conducting field training exercises. The Engineer School 

plans to revise the manual in FY96 and publish it 

as a 20-series manual. 

Training

The philosophy used to design environmental 

training programs was "integration." Rather 

than develo~inv stand-alone courses. the Enpineer 

School inte&at;?d environmental considerati& into 

all levels of existing training. School personnel also 

reviewed existing individual and collective tasks to 

determine if they needed modification. 

Training Development Process 

ost of the .4rmy's training is centrally develooed at TRADOC service schools. A unioue 

opportunky exists if training developers throughhut 

the Army are taught to incorporate environmental 

considerations into their training. To achieve this, 

the Engineer School integrated environmental information into the proprams that train TRADOC's training dcv;.ioprj, surh ~1.sthe Systems Approach ro 

Trai:~~ne :rnd the Middle Senior llananer's Tra~ninc - ~eveloGentCoursA. 1f schools desi& training 

that delineates environmental considerations, they 

will resolve potential environmental problems that 

soldiers may face in the field. 

Engineer 5 
Soldiers repair a vehicle using environmentally safe standards. 

Environmental awareness by troops is a relatively new concept In 

today's Army. 

Individual and Collective Tasks 

we must still work to ensure that environmental considerations are integrated into 

militarv occu~ational s~ecialtv (MOS) trainim. The 

integr;tion is more upgent fGr some'~0~s tvhan 

others. For example, fuel handlers, heavy equipment 

operators, mechanics, and heavy weapons handlers 

require immediate attention. To meet this need, the 

Engineer School established a TRADOC-wide environmental work group with members from other 

service schools and proponents. Representatives of 

this group have the power to ensure that environmental training is incorporated into training 

products and doctrinal manuals. 

The integration efforts of the Combined Arms 

Support Command (CASCOM), a member of the 

TRADOC Environmental Work Group, are a major 

success story. CASCOM is responsible for the service 

support branches, including Quartermaster, Ordnance, Transportation, and MissileIMunitions 

Schools. CASCOM recently released the Soldier 

Training Plan (STP) for MOS 77F, Fuel Handler. 

The possible environmental impact of a fuel handler 

is obvious, and CASCOM considered this when defining the tasks, conditions, and standards. It is an 

excellent example of how environmental considerations can be incorporated into operations without 

sacrificing mission accomplishment. 

Like CASCOM, school proponents may estab. 

lish an environmental task. For example, a 77F 

task is 'Tm~lov environmental stewards hi^ ' measures." ?he standard is "Dispose of all'hazardous waste in a manner which has no detrimental effects on the environment." The conditions are "Given any hazardous material or 

other material which might generate hazardous 

waste and two related manuals." 

Additionally, the school proponent might develo~a task that has environmental considerations as part of the standard. For example, for 

the task "Perform preventive maintenance 

checks and servioes (PMCS) on a 5-ton truck," 

the standard is "Perform operator's maintenance 

and operate the vehicle without injury to personnel, damage to equipment, or undue harm to the 

environment." 

In the field, commanders can modify the conditions. For example, the task "Supervise PMCS" 

has the conditions 'The leader is required to 

supervise operatorlcrews in conducting PMCS, 

given applicable technical manuals and forms, 

assigned equipment with crews and local spill 

contingency plans, and unit maintenance SOPS." 

Resident and Nonresident Paining. To 

support resident training, the Engineer School 

developed 13 training support packages (TSPs) 

for other service schools and proponents. These 

TSPs include training ranging from initial entry 

through the Sergeants Major Academy and from 

precommissioning to precommand courses. 

These awareness-based TSPs contain baseline 

environmental knowledge, such as Army and unit 

environmental programs, applicable environmental 

laws and Army regulations, soldier and leader 

duties, and the environmental ethic. Each service 

school is responsible for placing the instruction into 

their programs of instruction. 'Ib maximize the effectiveness, the school should then integrate environmental considerations throughout the programs of 

instruction, including maintenance, logistics, training management, and leadership training. 

To support the nonresident version of these TSPs, 

the Engineer School developed Army correspondence 

courses at the junior enlisted, company grade 

officers/junior NCO, and field grade officerslsenior 

NCO levels. 

Unit Sllstainment Daining. A video-based 

TSP, The Unit and the Environment, was developed 

to assist units in environmental sustainment training. It promotes environmental ethics, unit environmental operations, and the use of TC 5-400.The 

case-study video contains four segments that highlight compliance programs and how to conduct before, during, and after-action environmental checks 

during field training exercises. The training program, scheduled for fielding in August 1995, will be 

available through local Training Support Centers. 

Installation Compliance Paining. Installation compliance training is a specialized type of unit 

sustainment training. Since environmental laws, 

regulations, and resulting procedural guidance are 
.. 
 site-specific, units must conduct installation compliance training. The Engineer School is finalizing 

development of the Installation Environmental 

Trainer's Course. This train-the-trainer course will 

be taught at the Army Logistics Management College at Fort Lee, Virginia. The concept is to train an 

installation- or brigade-level representative to serve 

as the commander's environmental advocate and 

further empower that individual to train subordinate battalion- or company-level environmental compliance officers. This is much like the current nuclearibiological/chemicalofficer concept in an 

engineer company except that unit environmental 

compliance officers probably will be NCOs. 

The Engineer School is conducting course trials 

now and expects to have the course on-line in early 

FY96.Students may enroll through the Army Training Resource and Requirements System. 

-Posturing for the 21st Century 

he Army now faces the largest restructuring '1'
of funds, facilities, equipment, personnel, and 

o~erationsin its historv. The base realimment and 

ciosure process will continue over the n&t decade. 

At the end of this restructuring, the Army will have 

the smallest number of divisions since before World 

War 11. As these reductions occur, the base structure will decline, putting more pressure on installation training areas. 

The amount of training land will not increase. For 

the Army to carry out its mission, we must decrease 

environmental damage and repair past harmful environmental impacts. Environmental considerations 

are important components to mission sums because 

they affect safety, readiness, training budgets, training 

management, and local community relations. 

Guidance from Army leaders has been direct. The 

U.S. Army Environmental Strategy into the 21st Century provides the strategy, the vision statement, and 

critical elements to guide development of supporting 

doctrine, training, and procedures. TRADOC has organized for sucws and has directed the Engineer 

School to spearhead the integration effort. The Army 

has committed the chain of command to ensure that 

the soldiers of the 21st century will be prepared to 

face these challenges and succeed in protecting the 

environment for future generations. Y 

Major Neeley is chief of the Leadership and Environmental 

Division af the Engineer School. 

Captain Heitkamp is chief of the Engineer School's Enuironmental Branch. 

This article is an excerpt from a paper written by Major 

Neeley and Captain Heitkamp which was presented to the 

1995 NATO Environmental Conference in Montreal, Canada. For additional information about environmental 

tmining and doctrine, see the Engineer School5 home page 

on the Internet (address is http:l/155.9.32.3) or call the 

Enuironmental Bmnch at (314) 563-4122. 

Every Little Bit Helps 

By Mary Barber 

Environmental stewardship and protection 

don't have to involve separate contractors 

and big dollars for sophisticated technology. 

Sometimes, the Army's environmental goals can 

be met by something as simple as moving 

rocks. Personnel at Fort Carson are doing just 

that on the Colorado installation. Boulder by 

boulder, they are establishing hardened sites at 

all major intersections in their training area to 

help fight erosion. 

During maneuvers, troops occasionally meet 

to set up logistics points, hand out rations, collect trash, and fuel vehicles.Typically they rendezvous at intersections, parking their tanks 

and vehicles on the surrounding terrain. Over 

time, the terrain is reduced to bare dirt. During 

rainstorms, the intersections are inundated with 

mud and water, and troops look for areas that 

offer more traction, such as ground with vegetation. As a result, impacted areas spread farther 

and farther out, increasing the amount of emsion and sedimentation. 

Hardened sites are a simple technology that 

provide soldiers a low-cost method of reducing 

erosion. Boulders the size of bowling balls are 

spread 1 to 2 feet thick over eroded areas. The 

rock settles into the ground and is topped with 

finer material so wheeled vehicles can be 

driven over it. These sites give troops a place 

to meet that will not become a sea of mud. As 

an added bonus, the vehicles will require less 

cleaning, saving both time and natural resources. 

Initial feedback from troops indicate that the 

original quarter-acre hardened sites are too 

small, so they are being expanded to an acre. 

Even at this size, the sites will reduce terrain 

damage by several acres per site. Granted, it 

isn't a lot, but that's how we win this game, one 

boulder at a time. 

Mary Barber is the Deputy Director of the 

Directorate of Environmental Compliance and 

Management at Fort Carson, Colorado. 

August 1995 Engineer 7 
We're All Terrain Experts 

By Captain David L. Trelenven 

what do you mean, TDY toBosnia! There are no Anwncans in Bosnia." 

Wrong! There are a few. Most of 

them work on the staff of, or as liaison to,the Bosnia-Herzegovina Command (BHC) in Sarajevo. One of 

them is the G2 Geographic Off~cer, 

normally a U.S. Anny topogaphic 

officer, who rotates through the position every 180 days. 

"Dave, we just scanned the Officer Record Briefs and discovered 

that you attended the Mapping, 

Charting, and Geodesy Officer 

Course in 1988." 

terrain experts and 

topographic officers. 

The topographic requirements of my BH 

mission, and operation-other-than-war 

scenarios in general, 

highlight some of the 

~robiems.The mod 

"Sure, but you don't understand. combat, construction, and tradiI've never served in a top0 unit." tional topographic assignments. 

As I quickly learned, that isn't However, officels assigned to topoimportant anymore. In the near fu- gaphic units will still attend the 

ture, Military Occupational Spe- Mapping, Charting, and Geodesy 

cialty (MOS) 21C, 'bpographic En- Officer Course at the Defense Mapgineer, will consolidate with MOS ping School. 

21B, Combat Engineer. The consoli- This article does not attempt to 

dation was initially proposed in the deal with events occurring in BosEngineer School's Topographic nia Herzegovina (BH) or to provide 

Master Plan, August 1992, and the a historical perspective. It pertains 

Defense Mapping School at Fort 1 to the experiences of a 21B oficer 

hews is that the Engineer School is doing 

something about it. 

What are the problems? Let me give you 

a few. Do you know 

the difference between 

European Datum 

1960 (EDSO) and 

World Geodetic Survey 1984 (WGS84)? 

Can you convert coordinates between these 

Belvoir, Virginia, concurred. Implementation will occur before the 

beginning of FY97. Engineer offlcers are expected to be terrain ex-

- ,. 

P 

datums? Do you know 

the basics of the pho- - a

.. ., ..., tolithographic proc- a .,. , 

... ess? Do you know the 

meaning of gazetteer? Two 4-ton Bedford trucks used by the Bosnia-Herzegovina Command. The truck on the right housed the Are you familiar with 

ROTAPRINT single-color printing press. The truck on the lefi served as a map depot. Hs expanda bie bed 

was used as a catwalk to access storage racks on the vehicle. REPMAT? Have you 

thrust into a traditional 21C role. 

My personal frustrations and 

shortcomings point to a training 

deficiency that must be ad8 Engineer August I995 

perts. The 21Bs will rotate between , dressed before we can adequately 

label ourselves as both 
M",'L*. . 

non 

nw 


)nnr 


-..-..-..-. Bosnia & Herzegovina 


.................... Confrontation Line 


This map of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a typical briefing produd produced by 02 GEO. 

heard of the Digitized Terrain Elevation Database and its accuracy? 

Are you well acquainted with Terrabase? I didn't know these things, 

but this mission demanded that I 

learn them-nd fast. Be prepared; 

this could happen to you! 

United Nations 


Protection Force 


Mission. The BHC mission was to act as a United Nations protection force (UNPROFOR) for the humanitarian relief 

effort in Bosnia. Implied responsibilities of the mandate have 

caused the mission to increase. 

Because the current situation in 

Bosnia is extremely wmplex, the 

BHC has achieved limited success 

as a peacekeeping force and as a 

negotiating body between the 

A~rg~~st 1995 

1 Bosnian Serbs and the Muslim/- 

Croat federation. 

Force Structure. The UNp~o~o~~~ith headquarters in

, zagreb, croatia-has two major 

: commands: Croatia and BosniaHerzegovina. The BHC has three 

major subordinate components1 Sector Southwest, Sector Northeast, and Sector Sarajevo. Smaller, 

separate elements include forces in 

1 the Muslim enclaves of Bihac, Zepa, 1 Srebrenica, and Gorazde. (Sre- 

: brenica and Zepa were overrun by 

I the Bosnian Serb Army (BSA) in 

July. However, the situation is not 

clear and the future of these enclaves is uncertain.) 

The Scene. The journey to 

Sarajevo begins in Zagreb with 

the Joint Task Force Provide 1 Promise (Forward), Support for 

the ~~~~i~~ in ~~~~i~ is only a 

small secondary mission for the 

task force. Its main focus is a US 

hospital at Pleso Air Base and airlift operations. After inprocessing 

at Pleso, one must board a UN aircraft into Sarajevo. This is usually 

an IL76 jet that the UN charters 

from the Ukraine. The approach and 

landing into Sarajevo requires wearing a flak vest and a kevlar helmet 

because Serb small-arms fire frequently punctures aircraft fuselages. 

Getting in and out of Sarajevo is 

not simple, particularly for U.S. 

personnel. The air bridge closes frequently at the will of t,he BSA. It 

was closed continuously for almost 

a month during my 120-day tour. 

Getting out by land is technically 

impossible. There is a general order 

from the joint task force not to cross 

Serbian checkpoints. Sarajevo is 

completely surrounded by Serbiancontrolled territory 

G2 GEO Team 

At the BHC headquarters, Ijoined an all-British G2 

Engineer 9 
GEO team. The British use "GEO" 

(geographic) as we use "TOPO" 

(topographic), so the terms are interchangeable. In addition to myself, the five-man GEO team consisted of a staff sergeant (the 

noncommissioned officer in 

charge), two lance corporals (the 

terrain analyst and the printer), 

and a sapper (the map storeman). 

I soon discovered that our common language barrier was minor 

compared to the disparity in our 

professional language. The "topo 

jargun" they spoke was not an attempt to baffle or impress me; it 

was simply an efficient way of 

communicating within their technical specialty. I made a mental 

note to master this dialect. 

The team's work space consisted 

of two container-type offices with a 

third container for supplies. Our 

primary equipment was a 486 computer with a bubble jet color printer, 

a dyeline machine, a light table, 

and two Bedford 4-ton trucks. One 

truck served as a map depot and 

had an expandable deck and shelving. The other one housed a 

ROTAPRINT, a single-color mechanical printer, and associated peripheral equipment. The British 

Army used ROTAPRI PRINT to produce tactical information prints 

(TACIPRINTs). 

G2 GEO Mission 

The G2 GEO mission is to 

provide geographic support 

to the BHC staff-terrain analysis 

and advice, TACIPRINTs, and 

briefing ~roduds. In addition. the 

GEO &tion distributes maps to 

the BHC staff and bulk issues to 

the subordinate sector commands 

Maps. We stored and distributed eight different map series and 

dozens of special products, but only 

two series were Defense Mapping 

Agency (DMA)products Most units 

preferred the map produced by the 

former Yugoslavia, which commercial contractors in the United 

Kingdom overprinted with a 

WGS84luniversal transverse mercator (UTM) grid, the theater 

standard What made these maps 

(the UNPROFOR 1002 series) desirable was the updated information and a color scheme that 

10 Engineer 

highlighted lines of communication, 

supply routes, confrontation lines 

and other boundaries in urban areas, and other man-made features. 

By comparison, the unpopular US 

M709 series (1:50,000) maps were i 

outdated and emphasized contoun i 

and relief information in general. ' They were overprinted with WGS84 ' tick marks along the margin instead 

of a full grid. When map sheets were 

joined, the WGS84 grid was lost. 

Get used to the idea that there 

are more than DMAmaps out there, 

How do you develop a strategy to 

capitalize on other products and alter them to your operational requirements? This had never been 

part of my training, but the real 

eye-opener was the remarkable 

ability of my British team to assist 

multinational staff officers who I 

came in with only a vague idea of 

what they needed. Within minutes 

i 	 these officers would walk out smiling, carrying the precise type of terrain documents needed for their 

mission. While our terrain teams 

1 	 provide the same type of advice as 

1 	 the Britons, we need to decentralize .

' 	 this capability and train task force ! / 	 engineen to provide this information 1 to thew maneuver wmmanders. I 

1 Geographic AduiceIEqertise. 1 One of our most essential functions !

was to convert grid coordinates be1 	 tween datums. Bosnian Army (BIH) 1 	 and RSA proposals for safe areas, / 	 heavy weapons exclusio~l zones, 

boundaries, and other items in the 

negotiation process were derived 

from Yugoslavian maps with a 

Gauss-Kruger grid (HermannsKogel datum). The firsttime the G2 

handed me a list of grid wordinatm 

1 	 to convert, I had no idea how to 

proceed. Eventually, I made the 

conversion to WGS84NTM with a 

program developed by the British 

Army's 42d Survey Engineer 

Group. At the time, this 21B had no 

knowledge of conversion software 

I 	 (MADTRAN) developed by the DeI 	 fense Mapping School for that pur- I 	 pose. Two hours of computerI assisted instruction in the Engineer 

School lab could have eliminated 

this problem. 

Zkrrain Analysis. I felt wnfi- i 	 dent about my knowledge in this 

area. ARer all, I am an expert on 

analysis of observation and fields 

of fire, cover and concealment, 

obstacles, key terrain, and avenues 

of approach (OCOKA) and engineer 

battlefield assessments. However, 

the BHC mission was peacekeeping, not peacemaking, so traditional 

OCOKA analysis was seldom relevant. How do you analyze terrain 

when you are not trying to determine its effect on large Krasnovian 

formations? How does it affect the 

operations of primarily regional militias? The Mount Igrnan demilitarized zone, which we overprinted on 

standard 1:100,000 maps, is an excellent example of good terrain 

analysis in Bosnia. Establishing 

the zone on the high ground southeast of the Sarajevo airport was a 

win-win situation for the BIH, the 

BSA, and the UN. Delineating the 

demilitarized zone prevented the 

BSA from having clear fields of fire 

on the UN's only aerial port of debarkation. It also prevented the 

BIH from putting fires on Serb 

main supply routes. 

Does that sound like a brilliant 

UN coup? The story I heard was 

that the warring parties actually 

proposed the zone. Unfortunately, 

the UN has never been able to fully 

enforce it. On the positive side, G2 

GEO used Terrabase soRware to develop a rough outline for proposed 

warring faction boundaries using 

terrain features to mask factions 

from each other. It w-as also nsed to 

designate initial positions for UN 

observation posts using line-of-site 

plots. Elevation tints were produced for G2 contingency planning 

for possible air routes into the Bihac pocket for NATO strikes. I drew 

from my limited Terrabase experience as an Engineer Officers Advanced Course small-group instructor but relied on the expertise of the 

GEO team to produce these products. However, we were all baffled 

when we wuld not print to scale. It 

took weeks to find out that Terrabase print drive functions were 

written for dot matrix printers, not 

our laser or bubble jet printers. 

Briefing Products. -4common 

denominator for operations other 

than war is the need to conduct ext,ensive briefings, mostly for public 

information. Almost half of our 

work involved developing color 

products for press briefings. We 

took several scanned map backgrounds and used Aldus Freehand 

August 1995 
A TAClPRiNT showing convoy and supply routes in Bosnia-Herzegovina 

Augur 199.5 Engineer 11 
software to overlay data on them. 

These techniques were all new to 

me. An idea began to form in my 

mind that terrain experts must be 

somewhat technocratic, which implies hands-on training. They must 

at least become familiar with system capabilities and be comfortable 

with new systems being fielded, 

Our G2 GEO section's somewhat 

shabby system pales in comparison 

to systems fielded today I have subsequently learned that systems like 

the Multispectral Image Processor 

and the Quick Response Multicolor 

Printer have powerful capabilities to 

produce tactical decision aids (see 

"Terrain Visualization," Engineer, 

April 95, pages 32-35). 

TACLPRINTS. Mechanically 

printingT-4CIPRINTS tookmast of 

our time. We produced them for. 

warring factions, UN dispositions, 

withdrawal routes, BH transmission lines, and minimum-risk 

lines of communication. Most 

T.~CIPRINTS are five.color jobs each color layer succssiveiy 

overprinted on the grey base map. 

The administrative or technical information overprinted on each color 

layer was prepared the old-fashioned wayAy a draftsman bending over a light table. About 1,500 

sheets were typically printed and 

distributed to some 60 military and 

political headquarters worldwide, 

Because of the manual drafting involved, this system is not very respomive. The minimum justifiable 

run is 500 copies. 

The entire printing process was 

new to me, so I learned it from 

scratch. Doengineer officers need to 

learn the mechanical printing process? I don't think so. However. they 

must understand and exploit thk 

capabilities of systems such as the 

Digital Topographic Support System and the Multispectral Image 

Processor to overlay layers of information on background maps and 

to print the maps with Quick Response Multicolor Printers. 

Lessons Learned 

Local Maps. Their quality 

may be better than the DMA 

products. Even if it's just a road 

map that's well-suited for convoy 

12 Engineer 

operations, responsive topographic for this task list will expand the 

support must include the ability / Basic Course POI from 1 to 16 

to rapidly regrid and reproduce hours of terrain analysis. The Adthese maps, bcalprinting can be 1 vanced Course POI will increase 

; used if it is and from 6 to 32 hours of terrain analy- 

! sis and visualization. The Defense 

! With'perations 1 Mapping School will closely assist hsmiuemss DTLE in developing and resourcing 1 i*el'tahly inv01ves ne~tia- lesson plans. The surge in instructlons over estate. successful ' tion hours alone does not reflect the 

ne~tiatiOnmust end with the Par- . increased emphasis on terrain visu- 

! ties signing sort Of @graphic alization because terrain visualizaprduct, whether its the for a tion products also will be integrated 

demilitarized a an into tactics imtruction and practiOr a safe cal exercises. 

. graphic must include the With funds received to upgrade 

ab'llt~ generate these products computer lab equipment, the Engi- . in small quantities, since ! ueer School will purchase 16 

speed and dissemination help legiti- pentium.driven computers with 

mize the Peace Process. The G2 GEO large screen monitors (at least 17- : was ; inch), 32MB RAM, and ROM readJut sufficient. ers. The lab will also acquire full-size 

Global Positioning System. ( color printing capability, making it US en@neers in ; possible to run systems such as Terthan-war must form rabaseand new systems like theTer- 1 	 training teams to educate partici- 1 rainEvaluationMode1. 

pating forces from third world coun- New POI provide more thorough 

tries on the Global Praitioning Sys- 1 
 tra~nlng , . on OCOKA analysis and 

I This became an incorporate more powerful tools. 

! "quirement for the G2 GEO team. ; But the POI shouldn't stop at en- 

, !lkrrain 2~-. hancingconventional terrain experrain using such tise that engineers bring to the maTerrabase can be a Feataid. : neuver tactical operations center. 

naining On digitized terrain data- , Engineer officers must becomecom- 

( bases and must be in- , fortable in more traditional topo- : 'Iuded in formal 21B graphic capabilities. Graduates 

is an I must train on digital terrain datait can point the and bases and products. They must , Prepare 21B minds for more power- know how and where lo get multiful a~plicatiOnsOn the In 1 
 spectral imagery or imag. maps the future, terrain visualization and how touse and interpret them, from the terrain Consolidation of the 21Cs/21Bs and engineer i and my painfully learned lessons in bring new the Task Force 1 Bosnia point to a shortfall in engi- Bctical Operations Center- I neer training. This deficiency must 

be addressed before we can declare 

Terrain Experts ourselves topographic officers and 

terrain experts. The Engineer 

The MOS 21C121B consolida- School has taken the first firm steps 

1tion is timely Training defi- toward achieving that. goal. Y 

cicncies can be addressed as part 

of the Engineer School Comman- Caplain neleauen is a srrudl poup indant's approval to restructure the sti.utor. for the Engineer Offzers Adprograms of instruction POI) for vanced Course. He semed as platoon 

the-Engineer Officers Basic and leader and company XO in the 41st 

Advanced Courses. Engineer Battalion, 10th Mountain DiThe Department of Training, i uision. He commanded D l9th Engineer 

Leadership and Engineering 1 Battalion during Desert Storm and 

(DTLE) recently sponsored a think served in Somalia. Captain nPleauen 

tank todefine the requiredcapabili- i holds a bachelor-'s degree in electrical 

ties of future graduates. The result engineering from Carnegie-Melbn Uniwas a terrain tasklist. Lesson plans i uersity, PPisburg, Pennqluania. 

August 1995 
Interview With 

Major General Joe N. Ballard 

& Since yau have been at the 

Engineer School as both the assistant commandant a d commandinggeneml, you have witnessed the 

redeszgn of the engineer force with 

the engineer restructure initiative 

(ERI). How or what do you see as 

the next major evolution of the 

branch? 

A That's a very profound 

question. The next evolution of our 

branch may take place without 

much input from engineers and we 

must watch that. The Army currently is participating in an exercise called Mobile Strike ForcePrairie Warrior That exercise may 

lead to a redesign of the division 

and, as that happens, we must 

August 1995 

determine the engineer force design changes needed within the division. Engineers have diverse 

roles within light divisions, heavy 

divisions, at echelons above division, and at echelons above corps. 

I see engineers becoming much 

more focused on survivability and 

mobility missions than we have 

been in the past. We must decide if 

we need to maintain a heavy divisional engineer brigade structure 

and what the command and control piece should be. 

I think we should focus on increasing our role in survivability 

in terms of command and control, 

including integrating the MF and 

the chemical contributions. Now 

that is revolutionary! As the Army 

Interview by Catherine Eubanks 

downsizes, engineers must think 

"outside of the bod' if we want to 

remain viable players in Force 

XXI. ERI was a major step forward 

but we must go further. 

Q How do you see the Engt 

neer Branch changing in response 

to Force XXI? 

A Force XXT is a concept not 

a blueprint! No one can say what 

the Force XXI Army will look like 

because our testing, experimenting, andmodeling are not finished. 

As General Sullivan said, it is a 

journey not a destination. In that 

respect, the engineer piece probably can be whatever we want it to 

Engineer 13 
be, if we capture the intent of General Sullivan's message. How do 

we fight with a smaller, more sophisticated Army, in terms of engineer roles and missions? We are 

evolving into an informationbased Army, harnessing computers to process information. When 

we think of engineers, we often 

think of dozers, graders and equipment that, at first glanm, is not 

vew sophisticated. But we can put 

many sophisticated systems in 

place with those machines. We 

must think about how engineers 

will support a fast-moving, powerprojection Army 

The Engineer Branch will 

change--some changes are taking 

place already Topographic engineering, one of the main tenants of 

our regiment, has changed significant,ly A few years ago we needed 

several large expandable vans, a 

Heidelberg press, and so on, to 

produce map sheets in theater. 

Today, all the equipment needed to 

produce map sheets can fit easily 

on the back of a 2 112-ton truck; 

our goal is to fit it on the back of a 

HMMWV Those improvements 

mean that topographic companies 

are no longer necessary. We must. 

change the way we do business 

and not be afraid of that change. 

& Whenyou say that we don't - need topographic companies, do 

you nzean that only parts of a topo 

company will be needed in theater 

instead of an entire company? 

A No, I mean that large topo 

companies are no longer a viable 

concept. Modern computers have 

made that organization obsolete. 

Today we can put the inventory of 

maps on a CD ROM. We don't need 

to send pallets and shiploads of 

maps to a theater the way we did 

during World War TI, in Korea, and 

in Panama. We can give a unit a 

CD ROM that has top0 information for the specific area of operation on it. Soldiers will be able to 

print paper products or to send 

electronic maps to a receiver 

anywhere on the battlefield, even 

inside a tank. And, we can update 

data on the CD ROM from the U.S 

This is powerful technology, and 

we have much of that capability 

today Now we must decide how 

best to provide topographic support We have already proposed an 

initiative to eliminate the topographic engineering area of concentration for officers. Instead, we 

will train all engineer officers as 

topographers at the Engineer 

School. 

Q ,t, , continues to 

modernize toward Force AX,how 

do you see engineers supporting the 

maneuuer force? What are the majorpriorities for mu;equipment? 

A If we are talking about 

the heavy division of the future 

fighting a conflict like Operation 

Desert Storm or that we envisioned taking place on the West 

German plain, then we definitely 

need to modernize. The ACE was 

the first modern piece of combat 

engineering equipment that we 

had produced in more than 40 

years. That is a shameful situation for our regiment. I'm happy 

to say that the two previous 

school commandants (Generals 

Dan Schroeder and Dan Christman) and I have put an aquisition program in place to change 

that. Acquisition of the Grizzly 

(Breather) and the Wolverine 

(Heavy Assault Bridge) started 

with Dan Schroeder. Building on 

his vision, we decided to mount 

them on M1 tank chassis as 

an interim replacement for the 

Armored Systems Modernization-Counterobstacle Vehicle 

(ASM-COV). 

The program stayed alive under 

General Christman and we now 

have the final products. I have actually driven the Grizzly! Some 

380 of them will be produced in the 

next fiveyears, and they will completely modernize our heavy engineer force. We are working on the 

Wolverine and the new heavy 

assault bridge (HAB).In addition, 

the intelligent minefield will 

change land-mine warfare as we 

know it today. With it, engineers 

place themselves firmly on the 

21st century battlefield. 

The centerpiece of the intelligent 

minefield is the wide-area munition 

WkI).It gives theArmy the capability to shape the terrain, which is 

an important part of warfighting 

and a key tool in the intelligence 

preparation of the t~attlefield (IPB) 

process. The WAM is a sensor as 

well as a warfighter and has tremendous capabilities. 

From a budgeting viewpoint, our 

modernization plan is aggressive 

and quite robust-we have a solid 

plan for equipment modernization 

over the next five years. With it we 

will acquire several new pieces of 

equipment. These items are in the 

budget and they are funded. It is not 

a wish list. However, we must remain vigilant so that thcse funds are 

not nibbled away duringbudget cuts. 

QAs you imply, new military 

equzpnznt items are difficult to 

fund and, when funded, difficult to 

maintain through production and 

fielding. What material systems do 

you see as absolutely essential to 

prepare engineers for Force XXT? 

A There is a whole kit bagof 

things. The Grizzly, the Wolverine, and the WAM, which I just 

mentioned, are major items. Another is CIRCE, which is a key 

piece for an intelligent minefield. 

Important topographic initiatives 

include the combat terrain information system, multispectral imagery processing, and the series of 

top0 systems that allows us to provide digitized terrain data. That 

clump is absolutely essential. It's 

funded now, and we can't afford to 

lose it. We must stick to a modernization plan that includes procurement of construction, diving, and 

firefightingequipment as well as 

the combat piece; eliminates 
obsolete systems; and maintains 

combat readiness. 

The Engineer School has a welllaid-out acquisition plan, and we 

are watching it carefully through 

the TRADOC Systems Manager 

and the Directorate of Combat Developments. The systems I mentioned are critical; they are funded 

and must be produced. Our acquisition plan must stay intact. 

& Will you bnrfly qlam the 

mulhmk bridge - conzuanv . IMRBC, " 

concept? Specifically, address how 

the MRBC concept will affect the 

engimerfomeand what it will do for 

nzaneuuerability and engineer support to the combined arnzs teanz. 

A The multirole bridge company grew out of the Army's downsizing effort and was created because of funding constraints. If we "TheWAM gives the Army the 

had a requirement for fixed bridging in the past, we sent a fixed capability to shape the terrain." 

bridge company to construct it. 

Float bridging was constructed by 

a float bridge company After a 33- when we move many old bridges Earlier we spoke about new 

percent cut in force structure, we into the Reserve Components i technology on the battlefield. The 

no longer had the luxury of inde- (RC).If we deploy, there is enough i person at the point of application pendent companies for specific bridging in the Active Component ' is the small unit leader-a staff 

missions. IvIRB companies provide (ACj to meet initial needs-we sergeant. That NCO must have 

both bridge types from the same don't need to wait for the RC units the wherewit,hall to deal with all 

organization. The Palletizd Load to mobilize. of that data and equipment. -. System, the improved common 

bridge transporter, makes this How well prepared NCOs are is 

possible. Now a bridge company 

a different question. The chal- & How clo vou see the role of lenges for a 21st century NCO are 

can quickly download one type of noncGnzrnissioned officers (xcosj staggering. Through technology, bridge and upload the other type. ., 

changing to meet Force XXI re- the small unit's impact on the mis- The MOS 12C soldiers have no quirenzents? For example, will sion will become readily apparent problem with that hecause they NCOs peform some tasks and as- to everyone up to the corps comare trained on both types. The 

sume some responsibilities for- mander. We must make sure that dual capability provides a syner- merly accomplished by officers? unit leaders are prepared to deal -

eistic imoact: we can emolace one with the many different situations bridge type immediately'and still ' A I don,tseeNCOs assuming created by new technology have the other type readily avail- engineer officer responsibilities but able. While based on economic The real question is how we will 

constraints, the concept is so ! they will asume a more robust role train engineer officers and NCOs. 

simple and so good that I don't 1 In Force XXI. We will still have pla- The Army currently has. separate 

know why we didn't think of it i tmn leadem platoonsergeants, and education systems, but in the fuhoffiro , squad leaders. Their responsibili- ture I think that engineer solThe impacts of the MRBC on ti& won't change; squad leaders, for diers must share some training. 

mobility and engineer support to example, will still lead squads. But We must combine common subthe combined arms team are obvi- we must make sure that NCOs be- jects and make sure that officers 

ous. A key benefit is that our bridg- mme full players and participants in and NCOs are trained to the same 

ing capability will not be degraded the concept we call ENFORCE XXI. standard. 

Aug~isr1995 Engineer IS 
& How will the changing miu 

of women in the Army affect the 

engineer force? 

A Although we are a combat 

arms branch, we can't shy away 

from this question. As the engineer force changes, we can't forget 

the large number of females in our 

branch and in our Army. They will 

have an ever-increasing role. We 

have opened MOS 12C, the bridge 

crew member, to females-the 

first female 12C soldiers are receiving One Station Unit Training 

(OSUT) on Fort Leoxiard Wood 

now Will females have a negative 

impad on the engineer force? I don't 

think so. I think there are good opportunities for females in the Engineer Regiment. 

Q Can you explain where ~ n engine& j are-going in the 

joint arem? 

A We have had extensive 

discussions about the roles and 

missions of all services during 

the past few years. I don't know 

if much will emerge from those 

discussions except for a greater 

understanding of each service's 

roles. The positive thing I see 

emerging is that we will fight 

and operate more often in a joint 

environment. All of the dialogue 

has given us greater appreciation 

and understanding of the individual services' capabilities, and 

cooperation will increase. 

Q You hue championed t/te 

independence of engineer command and control elements, especially in echelons above corps. 

How doyou emision joint engineer 

command and control, particularly the concept for a Joint Force 

Engineer Command? 

A Engineers need to maintain a certain amount of independence, especially in echelons 

above corps. Let's talk about theater construction management 

because that is inherently a joint 

engineer operation. The regulation that deals with theater canstruction management and who 

has specific responsibility is clear. 

It states that the Army is responsible for all wnst~dion in support of 

the land-force commander. While 

the Navy also has a role, the Army 

has ultimate responsibility for construction in a theater during a major regional contingency Our Engineer Commands (ENCOMs) and 

Theater Army engineer brigades 

are well suited for that mission. 

Army engineers probably are 

better suited for some tasks than 

the other services because of the 

way we are organized, the tasks 

we train on, and the skills we 

bring to the fight. I don't know 

about a joint force engineer command concept. I have an opinion 

but it remains to be seen. 

& With the threat becoming 

regional in focus and global in 

scope, what role do you see for 

Army engineers in operations other 

than war (OOTW)? Does that 

threat include possible domestic 

scenarios? 

A Army engineers have been 

involved in military OOTW mksions, including nation building 

and nation assistance, for many 

years. Examples include Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq and 

Operation Uphold Democracy in 

Haiti. On the domestic scene, we 

provided support after Hurricane 

Andrew in Florida, for the 1993 

Midwest floods, and for fighting 

fires out West. Engineers have a 

continuing role-if anything, a 

greater role-in these types of 

missions. Our nation is putting 

more demands on Army engineers 

to get involved in these scenarios. 

I think that's good. 

Q Joint engineer training is 

becominga reality at Fort Leonard 

Wood, Sheppard Air Force Base, 

Camp ~ejeune, and elsewhere. 

What major benefits do you see to 

this initiatiue? What quality-control measures are inplace to ensure 

that all services' training standards are met? 

A The biggest benefit accrues 

to the Department of Defense and 

that's thesavings in tax-payer dollars. It's a lot cheaper to train all 

drivers of equipment at one location instead of four We train individuals from all services how to 

drive dump trucks, for example, at 

Fort Leonard Wood. Joint training 

is driven strictly by economics. 

We have worked through the Interservice Training Review Organization (ITRO) to ensure complete agreement on standards for 

training. All of the services have 

agreed to one set of standards. We 

have also agreed on training 

standards for the instructors to 

ensure they are training the same 

way and using the same program. 

of instruction (POI). The only difference between one instructor 

and another is the color of his uniform. We have also made provisions 

for break-out sessions, where we 

will train things that are service 

unique. In effect, the standards for 

quality control are in place. 

Q Are there any hurdles we 

needto ouercome to meet deadlines 

and fully implement the ITRO 

pmgram ? 

A No, we have worked hard 

on this program over the last few 

years, and we have crossed all of 

the major hurdles. We have 

agreed on lesson plans and instructor training, and the facilities are in place. We are very comfortable with this. 

Understand that joint training is 

not entirely new. The Air Force has 

trained our firefighters for years, 

and the Navy has trained our well 

drillers. We have trained the other 

services in topography. Now the 

ITRO initiative allows us to focus 

on other areas. ITRO is not a new 

concept, it's an expanded concept. 
& &ti talk about the Reserue 

Components (RC). About 75 percent-of the engineers are in the reserues. HOW do you see RC engineers interfacing with their Active 

Component (ACI counterparts in 

near- and mid-tern operations? 

A Our branch is really more 

of an RC branch than an AC 

branch, and I don't see a problem 

with that. Many ofthe things that 

engineers do can be done as well 

with reserve as with active forces. 

The mixing of RC and AC engineers is not new. We have been 

doing nation assistance projects in 

South America for several years 

with a blend of Guard, Reserve 

and Active units. I've had very 

positive feedback about the preparedness and capabilities of RC 

engineers now deployed to Panama and to the joint peacekeeping 

operation in the Sinai. 

The only differences between 

AC and RC units are the coordination and synchronization between 

the RC engineer commander and 

the AC task force commander that 

he supports. We can rehearse and 

practice the interface piece, so I 

don't see that as a big problem. All 

engineer officers, NCOs, and the 

enlisted corps are trained at Fort 

Leonard Wood with the same 

standards. The Engineer Schwl 

writes the same doctrinal manuals, mission training plans and 

everything else for the entire regiment. Regardless of the component, I don't see a problem. 

Q Are there any doctrinal 

issues you would like to address? 

A Doctrinal issues go back to 

the question about the roles of the 

engineer force in Force =-all of 

that is driven by doctrine. FM 100- 

5 and our new FM 5-100 both talk 

ahout change We must examine 

the roles described for engineers 

in FM 90-13-1, our breaching 

manual, to make sure that we 

change as we move to meet the 

demands of the 21st century 

August 1995 

"The challenges for a 21st century NCO are 

staggering. Though technology, the small 

unit's impact on the mission will become 

readily apparent to everyone up to the 

corps commander." 

Generally, I think we should wait 

and see what the new division and 

mrps redesign efforts are and then 

update our doctrine accordingly. 

Right now we are writing doctrine 

that supports current roles and 

missions, but we must fine-tune 

and tweak our doctrine as the engineer organization evolves. 

& Let's discuss the Engineer 

School. In your opinion, how successful have engineers been in the 

battle lab process? What do you see 

in the future for a battle lab atFort 

Leonard Wood? 

A I think that we have been 

very successful. There is no engineer battle lab at Fort Leonard 

Wood, but we made a conscious 

decision t,o place engineers in 

every TRADOC battle lab. Engineers initially are trained here 

and we give them guidance and 

instruction. When they are assigned to a battle lab, they work for 

the Commandant of the Engineer School, All of the battle 

lab commanders know and accept 

that. In addition, we established a 

small group of folks, called the 

Battle Lah Support Element, who 

ensure that engineer issues are 

embedded in every battle lab. It is 

critical to do that if we are to remain viable members of the combined arms team. 

Will there be a battle lab here in 

the future? If we are successful in 

bringing the Military Police and 

the Chemical Schools to Fort 

Leonard Wood, then we probably 

will have a mobility/survivability 

battle lab here. The initial footprint for that idea was briefed to 

the TRADOC commander. I am 

optimistic that, if the BRAC initiative is approved, there will be a 

battle lab here. 

& With TWOCfmdingdp 

creasing, what Engineer School 

functiom do you feel are nzost important to maintain? Where might 

we expect to see economies? 

A Fort Leonard Wood has 

three core processes: teaching, 

writing and doctrinal development; training is included in the 

teaching portion. Functions related to those core processes will 

be the last items cut. We probably 

will seek economies in anything 

that does not relate direct,ly to the 

core processes. 

Q ~Aere is an Engineer 

School initiative to consolidate 

training for MOSS 12B and 

12Fenlisted soldiers. What do 

you see as the advantages of this 

consolidation? 

A The concept for the 

12Bl12F consolidation has been 

given wide-range support, and the 

TRADOC commander has given 

us the go-ahead, h the Engineer 

Regiment downsizes, we must 

carefully analyze every engineer MOS. The engineer career 

Engineer I7 
management field (CMF)is one of 

the largest andmost diverse in the 

Army, and some MOSs, such as 

firefighters and divers, have less 

than 100 folks in them. Promotion 

opportunities and career progression for individuals in those MOSS 

are limited. For example, soldiers 

in MOS 12F are quickly promoted 

to the grade of sergeant, but promotion stagnation occurs in the 

higher grades Combining the 12F 

and 12C MOSS enables us to provide god career progression and 

to protect the force structure of the 

Engineer Branch. 

There was another purpose for 

this consolidation. The AVLB and 

the CEV are obsolete and we have 

difficulty maintaining them, 

Therefore, we must have the capability to quickly transition to the 

HAB and the Grizzly This consolidation will ensure that trained 

folks are ready to operate and 

maintain the new equipment. 

Now this is key: I'm not talking 

about force structure protection 

here. I'm talking about having a 

force that is ready t,o operate new 

equipment when it comes on 

board' Prepa'dness' Wemust have 

combat engineers trained to operate combat engineering equipment-that's the bottom line. 

Q How do yo& see t h Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced 

courses/EOBC~EOAC) changing 

to better prepare officers for the 

21st centu~? 

A We touched on this earlier. 

As ne head for the 21st century, 

the challenges for engineer soldiem are tremendous. They must 

be versatile, technologically 

aware, trained to handle massive 

amounts of data, and skilled in 

operating in a highly lethal environment. We don't do a very pod 

job of training officers or NCOs to 

deal with the many advanced systems on the battlefield. 

This is not an indictment 

against engineers. My counterparts at the Infantty, Armor, and 

I 

i 

!

I

I 


/ 


1 

1

1 


i 

, 

i 

1 

I 

/ 

' 

1

( 


: 

! 


i 

j 

j

i 

i 

Field Artillery Schools are evaluating how to change leader development to meet the demands of 

the regular Army in Force XXI, 

Engineer School personnel are 

analyzing our POI to determine 

how to deal with that. We are focusing on the tactics and the top 

portions-we want to roll those 

pieces into something that gives 

soldiers the tools they need to be 

successful company commanders 

or platoon leaders. We are designing a new POI; our plan is to Lest 

the model this winter and put it in 

place by the beginningof 1996. 

What plans are there to 

nzodernize the Engineer 

to meet 21st century needs? 

A As we modernize the 

neer School we must also modernize all of Fort Leonard \Vood. We 

made some hard decisions this 

year to install fiber-optic links, 

various LANs, and telephone 

switches to move away 

technology (hard wires and 

txristed pairs) and to open Fort 

Leonard Wood to the Internet via 

the World Wide Web' can now 

browse and interface with the 

Having made the 

capital investment, that technol- 

'0 be a here in few 

RC students in various locations. 

; 	 We are at the doorstep of doing 

that now That is a significant 

achievement! 

i I understand that the Engineer School is working to clarifj 

; the rok of engineers with regard to 

, unezploded ordnance (UXO). Can 

you explain the engimers' role in 

! 

/

: 

! 

, 

l 


i

1 

, 

this arena? 

A The UXO issue kaps resurfacing. According to doctrine, 

responsibility for UXO belongs to 

the Ordnance Corps and their Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) 

teams. On today's battlefield, 

uxo creates a real and deadly 

challenge to mobility and surviv. 

ability. Engineers must deal with 

UXO ranging from large ordnance 

to cluster bomb units that 

eratea by friendly and threat capabilities. As our exposure to UXO 

increases, engineers are required 

to take on a larger portion of the 

uxo mission. Personally, I would 

like engineersto take over the entire UXO which would 

mean a switch in doctrine, Don,t 

know how the Ordnance School 

feelsabout that, but the twoschools 

must rnrdinate UXO re. 

sponsibilities, ant walk 

away from the role of mobility and 

survivability of the for= 

sirzg, g,ioy~ii have any 

wortis of advice for the Engineer 

leaving Fort Leonard 

ill remain active in the 

egiment as Chief of 

~t~ff~f~~~~c. ~h~~~are 

ing and chal]engingtimes to be an 

soldier, It is critical that 

engineers remain engaged in the 

dialogue about Force XXI so that 

we continue to be major players. I 

am confident that Major General 

Gill willcontinue to leadus inthat 

direction. been fun. Y 

Years. Then we can move informa- , 

tion within Fort Leonard Wood I 

and the Engineer School as well ' 

as within TRADOC, the Army, 

and the world. 

In addition, we want to do interactive simulations. We have committed to participate in the Defense Simulation Internet (DSI) 

and the Distributed Interactive 

Simulation @IS). DSI, DIS, and 1 

our efforts to design classrooms for 

the 21st century (Classroom XXI) 

will allow us to do distance learning in the classroom using multimedia technologies. Instead of 

bringing RC students and officers 1 

to Fort Leonard Wood, we will i 

haveclasses in session here andl at 

the same time, teach appropriate 

18 Engineer 	 Aiigiirr 1995 
Thimkiirnq%?A 


By Jeb Stewart 

A s the Army reshapes itself 

toward the image of the 

fut.ure digitized Force XXI, enthusiasm about "informational 

warfare" seemingly knows no 

bounds. Heidi and Alvin Toffler 

are the prophets and their book 

War and Antiwar provides much 

of the vision. I submit that there 

is much hype and more than just 

a bit of a "damn the torpedoes" 

attitude about everything associated with Forc~ XXI. Not much 

circumspection is going on! 

As the Army hurls toward Force 

XXI, we are assuming its form 

with little regard for some key considerations. We are spinning far 

out beyond the maneuver-based 

warfighting strategy we masterfully displayed during Desert 

Storm toward control warfare, 

where we limit our enemy's options before a battle takes place. 

Whatever he can do, we already 

have anticipated and countered 

before he can execute his plans. A 

wise enemy surrenders before we 

inflict inevitable defeat upon him. 

Truly that's a great vision! I believe the Army needs to critically 

assess our expectations and temperour enthusiasm withsome historical perspectives. We've misjudged visions before. As one 

example, in the aftermath of the 

Korean War, President Eisenhower articulated the vision called 

the "New Look." The New Look 

gave tactical nuclear weapons 

"near convenlional" status. 

Spurred by the Wizards of Armageddon, President Eisenhower, 

who had impeccable military credentials, believed we could defend 

the nation more cheaply with strategic and tactical nuclear weapons 

Bhsaluqh er 
 Force XXI


than with expensive generalpurpose forces. The effect on the 

Army was such weapons as Davy 

Crockett, the nuclear-tipped recoilless rifle, and such organizations as the Pentomic divisions. 

Even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, it appeared that the 

wizards were wrong (or as some 

even now might suggest, only premature). My point is that we must 

periodically reassess visions for 

relevancy 

Force XXI assumes a technologically capable adversaly Information dominance presumes the 

enemy will collect and distribute 

as much, if not more, information 

than we do. There is always great 

danger in underestimating an enemy! But sometimes there is danger in creating a mirror image of 

our capabilities. The enemy may 

be radically different and we may 

not have time to sort out the differences. Or we may waste resources 

on a paper tiger. Remember how 

the Iraqi army was touted as "the 

fourth largest army in the world'? 

The distinction would have been 

important if we were trading lives 

as brave French and German soldiers did at Verdun. During Desert 

Storm, the distinction proved to be 

irrelevant. Perhaps we're guilty of 

some arrogance. 

Technological superiority may 

be equally irrelevant. As the British author and poet Rudyard 

Kipling observed some 100 years 

ago, British infantry armed with 

the then-state-of-the-art "Martini" rifle could not dominate the 

primitive Sudanese warriors (the 

Fuzzy-Wuzzies). The British army 

based its defensive doctrine of the 

period on the hollow square, a 

nigh-impregnable formation that 

concentrated fires by volley. 

Kipling recognized the warrior 

factor-

'We sloshed you with Martinis, an'it wasn't 'ardly fair: But 

for all the odds agin'you, FmqWuz,you broke the square." 

It is hard to imagine that vital 

American interests could be endangered by the modern counterparts of these valiant but "backward" warriors, but consider the 

frustrations of recent operations 

other than war. The United States 

oRen commits its armed forces 

without a clear threat to our vital 

interests (e.g., Somalia, Haiti). 

Perhaps the condition of Force 

XXI that worries me the most is 

the absolute reliance on computer 

software. All of us who work with 

computen have been the victims 

of poorly designed or poorly 

adapted software. I have sworn 

vile curses in utter frustration 

over software. I spent a good part 

of this May at Fort Leavenworth 

working for Prairie Warrior '95. I 

witnessed overstressed computer 

networks shuttingdown under the 

workload. One Warrior wit included in his "Top Ten Reasons 

Why We're in This Sony Predicament," No. 5-"We were going 

to attack, but the computers 

crashed." Imagine the sit,uation in 

combat when our Force XXI warriors get ominous and unintelligible 

software failure messages. The enemy may be less of a threat than 

our own software designers! 

Imagine also the links and interconnectivity that Murphy will find 

so challenging! We are arrogantly 

(Continued on page 35) 

Augrrst 1995 Engineer 19 
Joint Task orce Headquarters 

By Lieutenant Colonel Michael C. Langley 

In today's fluid world environment, we can expect 

more U.S. military involvement in operations 

other than war, such as Somalia and Haiti, and lesser 

regional contingencies, such as Operation Just Cause 

in Panama. By doctrine and recent experiences, these 

operations will be joint and have a significant engineering effort. Engineer sta% must organize, prepare, 

and train to handle joint task force (JTF) staff engineer operations. Without such preparation, JTF engineer efforts will be delayed, inefficient and negatively 

impact mission SUCCESS. While each lesser regional contingency and operation other than war is unique, most 

occur with little or no warning and require joint military operations in an environment with an underdeveloped or damaged infrastructure. 

Three challenges we need to meet to fully integrate the Army into future joint engineer operations 

are described below. They are followed by Pacific 

Command and I Corps approaches to meeting those 

challenms. 

Engineering Challenge

Recent operations show that the engineering 

challenge is normally disproportionately large 

compared to the total military effort. This challenge 

requires military engineers to engap in the following activities: 

Operating with other services. 

Operating with nongovernmental and volunteer 

organizations. 

Contracting for corlstruction and services. 

m Leasing real estate. 

Planning and executing joint operations. 

The organizations, techniques, and tools available 

to accomplish these activities are not well known or 

are practiced infrequently. The engineer community 

has been proactive in some areas by developingjoint 

civil/construction engineer training . In other areas, 

such as construction standards, management, an5' component systems, little has been accomplished . Without planning, organizing, and training in all 

areas, an ad hoc joint engineer staff will be illprepared to meet the joint engineer challenge. 

Doctrinal ChallengeRecent joint operations show that joint engineer doctrine is scarce and outdated. The 

onlv doctrine available is Joint Publication 4-04. 

~o&tDoctrine for Ciuil Engineering Suppo~t,which 

defines general engineering and facility term and 

the responsibilities of the combatant commander or 

the JTF commander (CSTF).It does not provide 

joint engineer staff or organization structure. The 

publication states: 

"Combatant commander engineering staffs (Active 

and Reserve Component members) are expected to be 

immediately prepared to respond to contingency and 

war operations. Execution is a service component 

commander's responsibility."? 

Another doctrinal publication, Joint Publication 

5-00.2,Joint Task Force Planning Guidance and Procedures, is an excellent source for the general responsibilities, organization, and functions of a typical 

STF. It provides joint staff planning procedures and 

checklists but has nothing specifically related to engineer~.~Because of this, JTF engineer staffing usually falls under the realm of the JTF 54 section. 

Staffing Challenge

Recent JTF planning and execution experiences also demonstrate the need for flexibility, with separate, expandable JTF engineer staffs 
I Corps JTF engineer staff augmenlees from USCINCPAC, JTFCEM, USACE, NAVFAC, CREST and LOGCAP (Brown and 

Root Services Corporation) support Cobra Gold 94. 

Because of mission requirements, these staffs ultimately became separate or independent JTF staff 

sections composed of 18 to 35 personnel. During 

operations, initial JTF engineer planning and execution were hampered byTotal adherence to staffing doctrine in Joint 

Publication 5-00.2. 

Inadequate manning of the JTF engineer staff. 

Lack of previous JTF engineer planning and 

training. 

USCINCPAC Approach

The approach used by the Commander in Chief, 

U.S. Pacific Command (USCINCPAC) for contingency operations is two-tiered command and control. It includes USCINCPAC and a joint task force 

he designates-either the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, the U.S. Nayy Seventh Fleet, or the U.S. 

AlCmyI Corps. 

To ensure that a JTF has exnertise. ~.USCINCPAC ~ ~ ~--~ 

provides a tailored deployable ~TFaugmentation 

cell (DJTFAC) when a JTF is designated. USCINCPAC also forms a JTF contingency engineering management (JTFCEM) cell, consisting of reserve 

officers who are =signed to a designated JTF. These 

personnel assist with deliberate planning, exercise 

participation, and crisis response. 

I Corps Approach 

WIhen USCINCPAC designates the U.S. ArmyCorps as a JTF, the JTF engineer section's 

philosophy mirrors that of I Corps: flexible manning, based on mission requirements, and ease of 

transition. The I Corps JTF engineer section may be 

a separate staff or be located within the JTF 54, 

depending on the nature of the contingency and the 

magnitude of the engineer effort. 

Philosophy. I Corps follows a formal joint task 

force standing operating procedure (SOP). Its JTF 

organization and staff can adapt to any type of operation: combat, peace enforcement, humanitarian 

assistanceldisaster relief, support to domestic civil 

authorities, or noncombatant evacuation. The ability 

to transition from an Army corps headquarters to a 

JTF headquarters is critical to ensure minimum 

staff disruptions and smooth implementation of misis action planning (CAP). 

Organization. The JTF engineer is the principal advisor to the CJTF on all engineering matters. 

He supervises the staff and operation of combat and 

civil engineer units as well as activities in civil engineering, mapping, charting and geodesy; real estate; 

and environmental protection. He coordinates and 

chairs the Joint Facilities Utilization Board and the 

Joint Civil-Military Engineering Board. 

The JTF engineer staff is formed around the existing I Corps staff engineer section. It contains administrative, operations (including topographic), 

and plans sections. The primary goal during the 

transition from an Army corps staff to a JTF engineer staff is to minimize changes to the organization and staff relationships. A major reorganization would hamper initial JTF planning and 

mission execution, especially during a crisis. To 

prepare for JTF operations, a staff must complete 

the following tasks: 

August I995 Engineer 21 
m Develop a detailed JTF SOP covering organization, duties, augmentation requirements, crisisaction procedures, and joint boards. 

Identify organizations and indi~dualsto aug. 

ment the JTF engineer staff. 

Train within the section and in joint exercises, 

to include augmenting organizations and 

personnel. 

Maintain a library ofjoint publications. 

Augmentation. The I Corps staff engineer section does not become the JTF engneer section simply by changing its name, reorganizing, and following the JTF SOP. Augmentation of both military and 

civilian personnel is required to provide joint military expertise and specialized civilianjprivate-sector 

expertise. Staff augmentation must occur as soon as 

the JTF is established to ensure well-balanced joint 

planning. A delay or a lack of augmentation may result in planning that does not use the full capabilities of all services and civilians. 

- JTFCEM Cell. USCINCPAC provides a 

JTFCEM cell to I Corps. It is composed of two to 

five reserve engineer officers (Navy, Air Force, or Ma. 

rine)! who augment the I Corps JTF engineer staff. 

Depending on mission requirements, additional military personnel may be required. For additional 

Army personnel, I Corps mobilizes reserves from 

the 35th Engineer Brigade (ARNG-MO): who re-

~ortto I Coros within 24 to 48 hours. Eneineers - from other services may be requested from 

USCINCPAC. 

- Topographic Support. Most operations 

other than war occur in areas that have few current topographic products. The I Corps topographic 

detachment with state-of-the-artequipment (the geographic information system and multispectral imagery processor) deploys with the JTF engineer 

staff and provides essential topographic support. I 

Corps recently began requesting and receiving augmentation from the Army Space Support Team 

(ARSST), which provides additional capabilities, 

such as the high-resolution weatherkatellite receiver and the mission-planning rehearsal system. 

Additionally, with ARSST support, split-base operations can become a reality with real-time 

overhead imagery for topographic use being forwarded to a deployed JTF from CONUS. 

- Contracting. Recent JTF experiences have 

shown that solutions to JTF engineering and construction requirements, including real estate and 

logistics, are both military and civilian. Department 

of Defense contract construction agencies, the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command fiTAVFVF4C), provide 

excellent contracting and real estate support. These 

agencies have personnel prepared to deploy on short 

notice to support JTF operations. 

- LOGCAP The U.S. Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) provides an additional civilianiprivate-sector capability through a 

USACE-administered contract. The current contractor is Brown and Root Services Corporation, which 

provides a wide range of engineering, construction, 

and logistical services. NAVFAC is developing a similar capability The table shows typical augmentation 

requirements to the JTF engineer staff. 

I; USACE or NAVFAC Contracting GS1l,l 

I I officer 

Crisis Action Planning. Because a JTF 

normally does not have time for deliberate planning 

when it is first established, I Corps has developed 

the following CAP phases: 

Situation development. 

Crisis assessment. 

H Course of action (COA) development. 

COA selection. 

Execution planning. 

H Execution. 

Additionally, I Corps has developed the checklist 

shown on page 23 to assist the JTF engineer section 

during crisis-action planning. 

Joint Boards. Joint Publications 4-04 and 

5-00.2 state that two engineer-related boards, 

the Joint Facilities Utilization Board and the 

Joint Civil-Military Engineering Board, may be 

established by either the combatant commander 

or the CJTF. Both publications give identical, 

brief descriptions of the boards with no details 

on membership or procedures. During CAP, both 

boards may convene to establish initial CJTF 

policies and to reconcile facility and real estate 

requests. To simplify establishing and conducting these boards during CAP, I Corps developed 

an SOP for each of them. The SOPS provide guidance to establish membership, procedures (from 

notification of meetings through voting), and 

verification and rebuttals of board actions. 

The XVIII Airborne Corps established a Joint Environmental Management Board because of the 

increased emphasis on conducting military 

1 USACE LOGCAP Coordinator GS11113 I 

1 1 LOGCAP Logistician Contractor 1 

1 1 ! LOGCAP Enoineer Contractor /i 
- 

Joint Task Force Engineer 

Crisis-Action Planning Checklist 

Phase I. Situation Development 

1. 	Determine the mapping, charting, and geodesy requirements (coordinate stockage and delivery). 

2. Provide the terrain-analysis team OPCON to 52. 

3. Provide engineer support to the newly established JTF 55. 

4. 	Provide an engineer to the crisis-action team. 

5. 	Alert the JTFCEM and USACE (LOGCAP) for possible augmentation. 

6. 	Determine the commander's critical information requirements (CCIR) and priority intelligence 

requirements (PIR). 

7. 	 Provide engineer input during the staff estimate process. 

Phase 11. Crisis Assessment 

1. 	Request the JTFCEM and USACE (LOGCAP) augmentation. 

2. Submit the component engineer liaison officer requirement to 53. 

3. 	Continue the staff estimate process. 

4. 	Notify the Defense Mapping Agency for possible support. 

5. Coordinate with the theater topographic battalion for support. 

6. 	 Notify the U.S. Army Engineer School of support requirements. 

7. 	Verify the legal authorities and types of construction funds. 

8. 	Update the CCIR and PIR requirements. 

9. 	Provide an engineer operations officer to JTF advanced echelon. 

Phase III. Course-of-Action Development 

1. 	Receive and integrate augmentees into the JTF engineer section. 

2. Assist the 52 and 55 with preparation for mapping, charting, and geodesy 

3. 	Review plans that address specific contingencies. 

4. 	 Receive the warning order and perform a mission analysis. 

5. 	Perform staff estimates and develop and analyze COh. 

6. 	Receive funding authorities and types of construction funds. 

7. 	Receive and verify types and amounts of available host-nation support. 

8. 	Verify the availability of reception and operations facilities. 

9. 	Coordinate within the staff and component engineers: the optimum units, the status, and the 

possible unit tailoring for specified and implied missions. 

10. 	Determine aerial port of debarkation or seaport of embarkation conditions, operational requirements, and required engineer support. 

11. If conducting a disaster-relief operation, determine the impact of continued tremors, floods, 

and so forth, on engineer efforts. 

12. Determine the engineer response for disease vectors of primary concern. 

13. Convene the Joint Civil-Military Engineering Board. 

Phase TV. Course-of-Action Selection 

1. 	Continue receiving CCIR and PIR. 

2. 	Continue monitoring the status of engineer units and support. 

3. DraR the engineer annex, including the Civil Engineer Support Plan and environmental 

protection standards. 

4. 	 Convene the Joint Facilities Utilization Board. 

Phase V. Execution Planning 

1. 	Continue receiving CCIR and PIR. 

2. Continue monitoring the status of engineer units and support. 

3. Analyze the selected COA for engineer supportability 

4. 	Participate in JTF war-gaming of the selected COA. 

5. Provide the engineer annex and input for the JTF operation order. 

6. 	Begin engineer planning for redeployment and recovery 

Phase VI. Execution 

1. 	Continue engineer planning for redeployment and recovery. 

2. 	 Perform JTF engineer functions according to the SOP and the operation order. 

-


Engineer 23 
operations, especially operations other than war, in 

an environmentally responsible manner. I Corps 

and others should consider establishing this 

board also. 

Daining. I Corps is fortunate in having the 

personnel resources identified for JTF operations in 

addition to a wealth of training opportunities, such 

as USCINCPAC exercises Tempest Express, Tempo 

Brave, and Cobra Gold. Many organizations outside 

of I Corps fully support these exercises and the special conferences and planning sessions. Those participating in recent joint exercises include JTFCEM 

cells, USACE, NAVFAC, Contingency Real Estate 

Support Team (CREST), and LOGCAP personnel. 

When I Corps calls a no-notice alert, personnel 

from JTFCEM, 35th Engineer Brigade, USACE, 

NAVFAC, and Brown and Root are notified to test 

Europe, recently addressed a group of multiservice 

engineers who were revising USAEUR's engineering 

procedures. He stated, "Engineers will always somehow find a way to accomplish the missi n But do 

we always have to do it the hard way?"' Proper JTF 

staff planning now will help eliminate doing things 

the hard way in the future. Y 

Lieutenant Colonel Langiey is the Assistant Corps Engineer {Forward), I Corps. He has serued in several joint assignments, most recently as the Contingency Engineer for 

U.S. European Command. A Command and General Staff 

Collegegraduate, he holds a masters degree in qstems 

management from the UniuersiCy of Southern California. 

telephonk-alert procedures and determine how 

quickly they can report to I Corps. Additionally, Endnotes 

JTFCEM and 35th Engineer Brigade reservists 

work on JTF SOPS, board procedures, operation 

''3oint CiviliConstruction Engineer Training: Its , olans. and continpencv Dlans during trainine week. a Engineer, December pages 2-17. " ~ ~~~ " ~~ 

hnds And/or activg trGking periods with the I Corps "Jointness - Essayons," Engineer, August 1994, staff engineer section. Participation in these events page 32, helps integrate personnel from all organizations into 

a trained JTF engineer - staff. Joint Publication 4-04, Joint Doctrine for Civil

Engineering Support, JUI~1995. 

The Future

J Joint Publication 5-00.2, Joint Task Force Planoint engineer operations are a way of life now ning Guidance and Procedures, September 1991. 1 

and will be in the future. Brigadier General Brigadier General John R. Harty, Ramstein Air 

Harty, then the Civil Engineer of U.S. Air Force, Base, Germany, March 1991. 

~n~ineer Problem 

r I

I Immediate Action Procedures for Chemical or Petroleum Spills I 

When off-loading a 2 112-tontruck in the 6th Engineer Battalion's motor pool, Private First Class (PFC) 

Melcher dropped a 55-gallon drum from the tailgate. The impact caused the drum to rupture, spiiling the 

entire contents on the asphalt PFC Melcher did not know what was in the drum. 

8 What immediate actions should PFC Melcher take? 

Who should ha notify? 

8 Because PFC Melcher Is not familiar with the substance in the drum, what additional actions should he 

take? 

m Where can he find the proper proceduresto follow? 

I Engineer Solution is on page 45. I 

24 Engineer 
The United Mations Mission in Haiti 


By Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. McCLure 

t is no surprise that the num- and challenges encountered, we Deployment ber of olher-than-war deploy- include lessons learned to benefit 

ments for engineers has risen dra- 1 future deployments by other n early February 1995, the 

matically in the past few years battalions. 92d Engineer Battalion (-) 

One only need mention places like : Training for our forces is right I M~LSnotified that it would deploy 

Somalia, Rwanda, Surinam, Pan- I on target, which means the indi- to Haiti within three weeks, 

ama, or Haiti to see how differ- ' vidual American soldier is more where it would first be part of 

ently-and in how many direc- than equal to any mission. How- the multinational force and then 

tiom-ngineer forces are used in ever, comxnanders and staffs must , transition to UNMIH on 31 

this new world order. Given that be prepared for frustrations when March. The notation (-) is key 

the overall Army force structure dealing with outside agencies, ! here because we were asked to 

has shrunk dramatically since such as the UN and other non- i deploy a heavy engineer conl1991, the likelihood of engineers governmental organizations. Not ! pany, parts of the battalion 

deploying to almost anywhere : everyone isas efficient as the Army st,aff, and the necessary support 

has clearly increased. 

It is no longer a 

question of if, hut UNMIH Force Base Camps when, the call will 

come for another en- dn&+ 

gineer battalion to 

serve overseas in 

either a peacekeeping or a humanitarian environment 

other than war. Quanaminthe 

This article concerns one unit's experience-the 92d 

Engineer Battalion 

(Black Diamonds) 

from Fort Stewart, 

Georgia-as it deployed in support of 

the United Nations 

Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). Tn addition to 

explaining the mission, organization, 

Augusl1995 Engineer 2.5 
CAN-AM Engineer Battalion (Heavy) 


UN Base Camp Status 


As of 20 May 1995 


Location Command and Control Personnel 

Gonaives 

Le:, Cayes 

St-Marc 

Jeranle 

Jacmel 

Quanamlnthe 

Port de Paix 

personnel; however, we were to 

keep the total number of personnel under 157. We essentially 

deployed pure, but we reinforced 

one vertical platoon with an extra squad and the horizontal 

platoon with an extra section of 

dump trucks and then added 

direct support maintenance 

from the headquarters and support companj. 

The Mission 

NMIH's mission is to provide a stable and secure 

environment throughout Haiti so 

that free elections, scheduled for 

this summer and fall, can take 

place. The engineer-specific mission is to build a series of base 

camps so that force presence 

can be maintained outside the 

large cities. Figure 1 shows the 

planned size and location of 

these camps. 

Haiti's terrain is uninviting to 

say the least. Port-de-Paix and 

Jeremie cannot be reached by land 

with anything larger than a 

HMMlW. The journey to Jacmel 

requires crossing 3,000-foot mountains and, although Hinche and 

26 Engineer 

Battalion Camps 

US 41 0 

US 1 255 

Company Camps 

CAES 126 

CAES 100 

US 171 

119 

-- I icn ."V 

CAES 100 

CAES 150 

Figure 1 

Gonaives are less than 100 miles 1 

from Port-au-Prince, the roads are ' 1 so bad that convoys take more 

than hours to reach them, Need. 

less to say, the primary means of 

deploying construction equipment 

is by sea. 

Can-Am Battalion 

Along with the deployment 

order, we received instruc- 1 

tions to form part of a combined 1 

engineer battalion with 108 Canadian soldiers once we were in i 

theater Unknown to me, but ap- ! 

parently decided several months 

earlier, the battalion staff was to 1 

be combined-the executive offi- I 

cer, the command sergeant major, the Sl, and much of the S3 

section would be Canadian. Figure 2, page 27, shows the battal- 1 

ion staff by position and nationality The point is that political 

considerations often influence 

force structure decisions both operationally and tactically This is 

not new by any means but is 

worth remembering. What I 

found interesting is that the Canadians had known, to a man, 

for more than six months who 1 

would deploy and 

that they would 

team up with an 

American unit. They 

just didn't know it 

would be the 92d. 

Once together, we 

formed what came 

to be known as 

the Can-Am Engineer Battalion and 

adopted tlie motto 

"Diamonds Ubique!"; 

the word "Ubique" 

being to Canadians 

what "Essayons" is 

to American Army 

I engineers. The battalion symbol of a 

black diamond on a 

red maple leaf became our signature 

in Haiti. 

The combined engineer battalion of 

Canadians and Americans per- formed extremely well. The Canadian unit was selected from across 

Canada and represented skills not 

normally found in our combat 

heavy battalion. The Canadian design team moved right into the 53 

section and almost immediately 

began creating products that were 

of architectural- and engineeringfirm quality We developed a system where American surveyors 

(MOS 51T) visited and surveyed a 

proposed campsite, and in three 

days, Canadian and American 

staff members produced detailed 

blueprints and a complete bill of 

materials for the camp. At the soldier level, the fit was vely complementary The Americans were 

strong in theater-of-operations 

construction; the Canadians were 

more technically schooled in electrical distribution, waste water 

design, and fine carpentry The engineer equipment mix was even 

better. We had bulldozers and 

other heavy equipment; they had 

'hobcat"-sized vehicles for smaller 

spaces. About the only difference 

was generational. The average a@ 

of the Canadiansoldiers was 31, or 

about 15 years older than their 

Aiigilsl 1995 
CAN-AM Engineer Battalion (Heavy) 

Battalion Staff 

I 


I 


American counterparts. Of course, 

that allowed everyone to enjoy 

a wide range of music on the 

worksite! 

Base Camps

Initial plans were for UNMIH 

to deploy form to camps with 

medium-sized general-purpose 

tents, burn-out latrines, and ''Amsie" showers, followed by hard shelters provided by the UN. Camp 

layouts required planning for electrical distribution from generators 

as large as 240 kilowatts and septic systems capable of supporting as many as 400 people. 

In terms of engineering effort, 

building the base camps was not 

difficult. The challenge was to do 

so in a country with no reliable 

electricity or potable water and 

roads that often resembled the 

back side of the moon. The UN has 

I OPNP Olnce8 

(C."dUm) 

I 

Figure 2 

a complete inventory of base 

camp structures that it moves 

around the world to support operations such as Haiti. They appeared in country soon after our 

arrival and were transported and 

erected by the Can-Am engineers-ablution units (showers, 

toilets and sinks), trailermounted kitchens with attached 

generators, and temporary living 

accommodations (manufactured 

by Nitco, a Southwest Asian company). Theoretically, some of 

these items only needed to be 

placed on-site and hooked up to 

either the electrical- or water-distribution system. That sounds 

easy, and it is if you've done it 

before. But the American Army 

has had little experience in deploying units on UN operations, so 

we were unfamiliar with the requirements. Additionally, each 

unit was wired for 220 volts and 

I 

CONST 0fnS.r. 


I (Canadla" CPll 


I I 

had to be rewired to fit the camp's 

110-volt power system. We asked 

for help from almost everywhere 

and even received faxes from 

Egypt containing instructions for 

assembling Nitco trailers. In the 

end, it was one UN-experienced 

engineer talking to another on the 

ground that solved the mystery. 

Realizing' the importance of 

maintaining a complete set of the 

technical specifications for these 

UN units is a valuable lesson. I 

strongly recommend that a repository of UN construction information be kept at the Engineer 

School and given to units deploying on peacekeeping missions. 

Had we known what size PVCpipe 

was needed for the ablution units 

or the size and gauge of wire 

needed for kitchens, we would 

have ordered that material when 

we were alerted and saved weeks 

of waiting in country. 

August 1995 
UNMlH base camp at Gonaives. The site was the town soccer field thai had been abandoned to grazing goats 

The UN System

Another lesson has to do 

with the UN system itself. 

For this, one can't "learn" anything for the next deployment, 

only prepare for it. Quit,e frankly, 

the UN system is laborious and 

slow at best. For Army engineers 

accustomed to a total mission €0-

cus and a "get-it-done-yesterday" 

mentality, working with t'he UN 

can become a frustrating professional challenge. A major reason 

for this is the bureaucratic 

design of UN missions. Coequal 

i 

m 


.x 

, . 

-. . -

. . 

.L._' .-

with the UN military force commander is the chief administrative officer (CAO). Ke is charged 

with monitoring all operation expenses and handles contract bidding and purchasing for the entire force. No one in the military, 

including the force commander, 

can obligate or spend a dime 

without going through the CAO. 

When I needed electrical 

wire, plywood, or other supplies 

for a base camp, I went through 

the supply officer (U4)to the 

CAO, where my request was 

sent out for competitive bids 

/ 

. 	 . .. . -.-.. . .. .. ~.,.; .. ~. .A*. _:

.,....- .* - *;.<-.t:.*, .. ; . . . .;: .- .,-;< ~.. ' 

(a minimum of three, usually from the U.S.). The bids 

were then evaluated and 

awarded to the lowest bidder, who usually began delivery two weeks later-with 

no penalty clause for items 

delivered later than that. 

, 	 The entire process-from 

handing a base-camp order to 

the U4 until materials were 

delivered to Port-au-Princeaveraged from 6 to 8 weeks. 

The impact on the engineer 

was that reliable construction 

planning became almost 

impossible. 

Students of bureaucratic politics 

will recognize - an obvious divergence in goals 

here. The military 

and force commander define 

success as accomplishing the mission. In Haiti, accomplishing the 

mission meant 

maintaining a stable environment 

by pushing the 

force out to the 

countryside via 

base camps. Mision success for 

the CAO was de1 . . . 

. *:. ~.> 

', - , . .
 ..
 . -: 

UN soldiers unload gravel at Gonaives. Mare than 6,000 cubic yards of gravel were hauled to cover the area fined as having 

around the base camp. 

28 Engineer Allglut 1995 
i1 


0 


5

* 


z 

UN soldiers constructing floors tor general-purpose tents. 

Commander's 


ment to Haiti are addressed 

below: 

Logistical Civil Augmentation 

Program (LOGCAP). The UN 

administers a general LOGCAP 

contract for the joint engineer 

force. During most of our time 

in Haiti, the UN continued a 

'bridge" contract with Brown and 

Root Services Corporation while 

actively searching for an alternate provider. Contingents were 

free to request additional services 

from the contractor if they paid 

for them. For example, while the 

UN paid Brown and Root to provide Class I supplies to all contingents, it was the contingents' re 

sponsibility to prepare and serve 

the food. The U.S. contracted with 

and to prepare food 

for American units, while the Canadians in Port-au-Prince cooked 

their own food, Our Can-Am 

group cooked out of field kitchens 

at the construction sites, sometimes combiningcookingstaffs. 

Command and Control. My 

relationship with the ca. 

nadian engineersquadron was that 

of operational command (OPCOM). 

While I could task organize, assign 

missions, and give policy guidance 

to everyone in the battalion, diseiplinary and evaluation actions remained a national responsibility. 

Equipment. In retrospect, I 

should have left the 9-wheeled 

rollers in Georgia and taken the 

concrete mobile trucks. I was 

promised an additional vibratory 

roller in country; it never ap 

pewd, and the one I brought became indispensable. 

HMMVK The HMMWV is the 

single most outstanding piece of 

equipment the has pur. 

chased in the past 20 

Communications. Tactical satellite communications were enthe entire effort cost as little as 

possible. Given that, one can easily understand how seeds of frustration and misunderstanding 

can grow. Army engineers must 

be extremely flexible and creative when working within these 

constraints. 

~ ~a iff^^^^^^ k i

ave we made a difference 

in Haiti? The amwer is,a 

resounding yes! While it is st111 

if institution.9 have truly taken root, 

I am optimistic. In just the few 

months I've been here, the increase in economic activity (and 

the resultant traffic) is unmistakable. Civic violence has mark. 

edly decreased, and a country 

that has been unstable for years 

now knows stability. Engineers 

have contributed to that stability 

by base camps and 

pleting dozens of civic-action projects all over Haiti. Having to 

wait for materials allowed us 

time to help the Haitian people. 

We made school desks from 

scrap 2x4s, built footbridges 

from extra plywood, and repaired 

broken farm and other machinery. Projects like these and dozens more, initiated in conjunction with the local population, 

gave each soldier a reason to feel 

good. There was always worthj while work to do. 

1 The deployment of the 92d Engineer Battalion and its transforma- '

/ 

tion into the Can-Am Engineer ~ ~ Battalion is unique but is probably 

an indication of things to come, 

~~~i~~~~~ will surely continue to 

support UN peacelreeping and 

other nation-building missions. 

Whether they deploy pure or 

combined with allies remains to 

be seen, ~h~ important thing is 

to be ready, for deployment time 

will ome, Y 

Lieutenant Colonel McClure is commander of the 92d Engineer Battalion 

at Geol~ia.Duling the 

1995 deplqvmnt to Haiti, he cammanded the Can-Am Engineer Battalwn as a pait of UNMIJI. Preuwus 

assignments include S3 and XO, 23rd 

Engineer Battalion; Commandel;42d 

~~~i~~~~ ampany, ~~i~~d~,. 

end commande,; E company, 12th

~~~i~~~ ~~tt~lw~, all in 

He holds a master's degree fiom Haruard and is a registerrd professional 

engineel in Mrginia. 

tial because distances between 

base camps far outstripped FM 

capability I had four sets, which 

was the minimum required for 

this mission, 

Airgust 1995 Engineer 29 
flir Force Civil Engineers: 


Building flir Power's Foundation 


Dr. Ronald B. Hartzer 

Joint activities are changing 

the way military engineers 

train, acquire and use equipment, 

and support contingency operations. An understanding of the engineering function of all services is 

necessary because each service 

performs their missions differently. The basic difference between Air Force civil engineers 

and their counterparts is inextricably tied to the Air Force mission: ?b defend the United States 

through the control and exploitation of air and space. 

Air Force units are mobile to 

project power worldwide, and they 

fly and fight from fixed bases. 

Therefore, Air Force military engineers have an overlapping peacetime and wartime mission: lb provide, operate, maintain, restore, 

and protect the installations, infrastructure, facilities, housing, and 

the environment newessary to sup 

port air and space forces having 

global reach and power across the 

range of military operations. The 

same engineers who operate and 

maintain bases in peace must also 

expand, recover, and restore them 

in war. This article explores how Air 

Forc6. c%n)$nw!r; I1:a.v~IIPPO~I(d ,11r 

power In thc p;r,r ;tncl bun thxr cxperience has led to their present 

mission. 

Air Force civil engineers have a 

proud heritage that began before 

World War I. The engineering function originally was a small unit of 

the Army Signal Corps, and construction was handled through the 

Office of the Chief Signal Officer. 

When the Air Service was established in 1918, the Building and 

Grounds Branch of the Division of 

Military Aeronautics inherited 

maintenance and construction responsibilities, in conjunction with 

the Construction Division of the 

War Department, for ten flying 

schools, five balloon schools, and 

one repair depot. In 1921, construction of Air Service projects was 

turned over to the Construction 

30 Engineer August 1995 
Service of the Quartermaster I 

Corps, which worked closely with 

the Air Service Building and 

Grounds Office. Throughout the 

1930s, the Air Service (known by 

then as the Air Corps) slowly con- 1 

tinued to expand. The availability 

of Works Progress Administration 

funds facilitated construction that 1 

otherwise would not have been pos- /

sible. In 1940, comtruction of Army ! 

Air Corps facilities in the United 

States was transferred to the Corps 

of Engineers. l 1 

World War I1 .c

Long before Pearl Harbor, the 1 

continual growth of the 

Army Air Corps indicated a vital I 

need for engineers specialized in 

building airfields overseas to support tactical and strategic air 

operations. The Air Force needed 

its own engineers-troops who , trained with it, spoke its lan- , guage, and understood its requirements. These men should be I 

trained and equipped to rapidly 

construct advanced airfields close 

to or behind enemy lines. They 

also should be trained to improve 

and maintain existing facilities, 

camouflage airfields, and construct defensive works. The engineen needed to be organized and 

prepared to repair airfields damaged by enemy bombing And finally, with trained riflemen and 

machine gunners, they must be 

prepared to actively defend their 

airports. The concept of the aviat~on engineers was troops trained 

to construct, conceal, maintain, 

and defend airfields. 

In 1940, a handful of officers and 

80 enlisted men assembled at Fort 

Benning, Georgia, to form the 21st 

Engineer .. (Aviation) Regiment. 

They were the first of more than 

100,000 aviation engineers who 

served in World War 11. To protect 

themselves from air and ground 

attacks, the aviation engineers 

were trained and equipped for combat as well as construction. 

In addition to the regular 

aviation engineer battalions, 16 

, 	 airborne aviation engineer battalions were organized. These specialized units were designed to parachute in ahead of other airborne 

troops, patch up captured airfields 

or construct new ones with hand 

tools, and then be reinforced by 

glider-borne engineers carrying 

light equipment. 

During most of \Vorld War 11, the 

maintenanceandrepairofArmyAir 


Force installations were performed 

by general service engineers called 

post engineers. At the end of the 

war, 1,435 airfields located in 67 ' countries had been used, built, or 1 improved by or for the Army Air 

Forcc. 

When the Air Force became a 

separate service in 1947, its con1 struction continued to be pro- ! grammed and budgeted by the 

I Army Corps of Engineers. The Air 

Force civil engineer function operated as the Directorate of Installa- 1 tions under the Deputy Chief of / Staff, Materiel. At the base level, 

: Ihe Air Installation Officer was 

responsible for repairing and 

A bulldozer operated by 

an aviation englneer 

clears a hardstand area 

for Boeing 529 Supsrfor~ 

tresses on Guam, 24 

March 1945. 

, v . 

r:: 

1' 	 . 1: 


Augusi 1995 	 Engineer 31 
maintaining facilities, grounds, and 

utilities. Fire protection and aircraft crash rescue were added. 

Korean War 

he Korean War presented 

tremendous challenges for 

Air Force engineers. Troop construction and bomb damage repair 

to Air Force facilities were accomplished by Army engineer battalions under the direction of the Air 

Force. They were known as specia1 category Army personnel with 

the Air Force (SCARWAF). Air Installation Officers were responsible for normal maintenance and 

repair at Air Force installations. 

During the period between 

World War I1 and the Korean War, 

several new aircraft were introduced into the inventory The new 

aircraft required longer and wider 

runways, larger taxiways and arking aprons, and more stringent design criteria for gradients, clear 

zones, and pavement thickness. 

Larger fuel storage and munitions 

facilities, as well as more maintenance and support facilities, were 

needed. Engineers worked to accommodate ever-larger cargo aircraft and jet fighters by constructing 9,000-foot all-weather runways 

at Osan, Taegu, Kunsan, and Suwon. Constructing an airfield during World War I1 was expressed in 

terms of battalion days or weeks. 

During the Korean War, the effort 

was expressed in battalion months. 

A Professional Force 

a	he 1950s were a period of 

sirrnificant -erowth in Air 

Force basing. The elevation of the 

Directorate of Installations to Assistant Chief of Staff level was indicative of the increased engineering activities related to the 

massive strategic forces buildup, 

the intercontinental ballistic missile design and construction program, the early warning system 

construction, and the construction 

of the U.S. Air Force Academy Air 

Force engineer leaders stressed 

professionalism. The Air Force 

Director of Installations was renamed the Director of Civil Engineering; and at the base level, Air 

Installation Officers became 

Installation Engineers and finally 

Civil Engineers. 

During this period, the Air Force 

requested permission to organize 

its own combat engineering function and transfer the 30,000 SCARWAF engineers from the Army to it. 

1 However, the Secretary of Defense 

decided to leave the engineers with 

the Army and abolish the SCARWAF units, so the Air Force was 

without its own combat engineers 

until the mid-1960s. 

The Lebanon Crisis of 1958, the 

Berlin Crisis of 1961, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 demonstrated a need for mobile civil engineer team that could immediately 

deploy to perform construction 

, work during emergencies. Prime 

I Base Engineer Emergency Force I BEEF) teams were created to fill 

; that need. A more long-term, heavy 

construction and repair requirement also existed to support the 

rapid force buildup in Southeast 

Asia. The solution for that requirement was the Rapid Engineer 1 Deployable Heavy Operational Re-

! pair Squadron, Engineer (RED 

1 HORSE). 

Prime BEER The basic concept 

was to take engineers who operated 

and maintained bases in peacetime 

i and train and equip them to respond to contingency situations in 

support of air power around the 

world. This emergency force in- 1 cluded both recovery and mobility 

: forces. The primary mission of the : recovery teams was to provide a 

minimum force of hizhlv skilled 

military civil engineersat each air 

base t,o maintain essential operation and maintenance services during and immediately following enemy attack, major disasters, and 

other emergencies. The mobility 

forces were to respond to unforeseen contingencies or special warfare operations, with their missions 

depending on the nature of each 

team. Their first big opportunity 

came in Southeast Asia. 

In the early days of the Vietnam 

War, large numbers of Air Force 

strike aircraft were deployed to 

bases where pavement for aircraft 

parking was at a premium. Aircraft 

were parked wingtip to wingtip and 

were vulnerable to an accidental explosion or enemy attack. When a 

bomb accidentally exploded at Bien 

Hoa Air Base in May 1965, the resulting explosions destroyed 40 unprotected aircraft and killed or injured more than 100 people. 

Because the Air Force was unable to 

obtain needed engineer support 

from the heavily committed Army, 

three CONUS-based, 28-man 

Prime BEEF teams deployed to construct revetments at Bien Hoa, Tan 

Son Nhut, and Da Nang. These 

teams provided protection for combat aircraft and, more significantly, 1 

they validated the Prime BEEF r 

concept. Wartime necessity had ' 

given Air Force civil engineering a 

warfighting capability. By 1968, 

more than 1,600 personnel fmm 

nearly 60 Prime BEEF teams had 

res~onded to suo~ort facilitv requ&ements in ~o;iheast ~sia." 

RED HORSE. Six RED 

HORSE sauadrons were oreanized 

and deploied to Southeast kia by 

November 1966. Each squadron 

was a self-contained unit of 400 

men with a variety of skills and 

construction equipment to provide 

combat engineering support to Air 

Force tactical units in theater. 

They performed major construction 

on several bases and completed 

much of the vertical work left undone by contractors. 

Peacetime Missions 

As American involvement in 

Southeast Asia wound down, 

RE11 HORSE capabilities were 

maintained at a high level of 

readiness. For the first time, the 

Air Force had organic heavyrepair units designed for contingency support with no contingency 

at hand. In an effort to provide an 

engineering heavy-repair capability as responsive as the tactical 

aircraft they supported, the Air 

Force developed a program to 

teach skills similar to those re- 1 

quired during a contingency. Civil . ,

engineering projects were the ba- ! 

sis of this training. 

Disaster Relief. Air Force engineers have often assisted communities recovering from natural disasters. In 1972, Prime BEEF and 

RED HORSE teams helped in 

search, rescue, and recovery operations following severe flooding in 

Pennsylvania and South Dakota. 

When a tornado devastated Xenia, 

32 Engineer 	 A~rg~isl I995 
Members of the 819th civil engineering REDHORSE squadron connect beams on a building under construction in Tuy Hoa Air Base. South 

Vietnam in January 1970. 

Ohio, in 1074, engineers and fire- Force Engineering and Services air bases in the Negev Desert was 

fighters from nearby Wright- I Center opened a training facility at one project that presented special 

Patterson Air Force Base assisted Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. i challengps because of the foreign 

in the cleanup and helped extin- Their mission was to provide construction standards and criteria 

guish fires caused by gas leaks. hands-on training to Prime REEF ! and a demanding construction In 1979, the 828rd RED HORSE team members on rapid runway re schedule. 

squadron assisted in recovery op- 1 pair, bomb damage repair, force 1 In June 1986, Prime BEEF 

erations at Keesler Air Force Base, bed-down, bare base equipment, teams from nine major commands, 

Mississippi, which was heavily chemical warfare defense, and ex- i the Air Force Reserve, and the Air 

damaged by Hurricane Frederick. plosive ordnance reconnaissance in 1 National Guard met at Eglin Air 

' More recently, Air Force engineers a realistic contingency environ- Force Base for the first Readiness 

assisted in recovery efforts follow- 1 ment. In 1985, base recovery after Challenge. The 25-person teams 

ing Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew. attack training (BRAAT) was initi- 1 competed in seven events: vehicle 

Enuironnzental Protection. ated. This interdisciplinary train- operations, conventional protecProtection and restoration of the I ing explains how individual func- tion, rapid runway repair, mini- 

, environment became a major con- tional areas interface for a 1 mum operating strip selection, 

cern for Air Force civil engineers in coordinated recovery effort. In manual damage assessment, 

the 1970s. when they assumed re- i 1994, the training moved t.0the Sil- / chemical warfare defense, and 

sponsibility for the Air Force envi- ver Flag Exercise Site at Tyndall force bed-down. The competition 

ronmental protection program. Air Force Base, Florida. I now includes other Air Force perNew terms became part of the eve- , Readiness. The 1980s were a 1 sonnel as well as the Canadian Air 

ryday language for Air Force engi- period of cliallenges for Air Force Force engineers. Readiness Chalneers-environmental impact Engineering and Services person- / lenge V was recently completed at 

statement, installation restoration, nel as engineers worked on projects I Tyndall Air Force Base with the 

and pollution abatement. 1 overseas. Managing the overall con- 1 U.S. Air Force Academy team winZkaining. In 1979, the Air I struction program for two Israeli I ning the overall competition. 
Gulf War 

kir Force civil engineers were mong the first engineers to 

arrive in theater to support Operation Desert ShieldIDesert 

Storm. Prime BEEF teams immediately began bedding down aircraft and personnel at sites across 

the region. While some bases featured modern facilities, others had 

little more than a runway, a park- ing ramp, and sand. Often they 

constructed tent cities with barebase equipment, such as the Temper tent and general purpose shelter, which were powered by 

750-kilowatt mobile generators. 

When potable water was not 

available, engineers processed 

water through reverse osmosis purification units. Within days, they 

constructed living and working 

facilities and utilities for a formidable show of air power. 

When Iraq invaded Kuwait, 

RED HORSE was ready to respond, 

and the Air Force soon had a strong 

engineering capability in theater. 

They broke into teams and completed more than 25 construction 

projects at 12 sites throughout the 

region. Projects included an ammunition haul road near Dhahran for 

the Army and a K-Span facility for 

the Marines. 

Construction of the A1 Kharj Air 

Base was a major project. Facilities 

34 Engineer 

for more aircraft were needed closer 

to the Kuwaiti border, so a new base 

; 	 was planned at A1 Kharj, about 60 

: 	 miles south of Riyadh. The base had ' 

~ 

been identified as a massive Saudi 

military installation, but only a 

runway, a taxiway, and a parking 

apron had been constructed. RED 

HORSE, Prime BEEF, and contractor 

personnel compacted more than 

200,000 cubic yards of red clay to 

serve as the foundation for a tent 

city Eventually, 630 Temper tents, 

4 kitchens, a gymnasium, 21 latrines, and 26 shower-and-shave 

units were erected. The engineers 

also constructed a sanitary system 

1 	 and a power plant, assembled an 1 	 air-transportable hospital, and 

built six K-Span structures. RED 

HORSE also constructed a theater 

munitions storage area at the base. 

A1 Kharj was ready for aircraft 

early in Janua~y, and by the beginning of the war, the base was home 

to 4,900 Air Force personnel. 

RED HORSE engineers soon undertook larger and heavier jobs, 

such as parking ramps and taxiways. Shortly before the cease fire, 

a joint RED HORSE/explosive ordnance disposal team tackled their 

most challenging postwar projectto deny Tallil and Jaliba Air Basej 

in southeastern Iraq to future use 

by returning Iraqi forces. At Tallil, 

I 	 engineers used approximately 

: 	 80,000 pounds of explosives, 

Air Force civil engineers construct an 

ammunition storage 

area in Saudi Arabia 

during the Guit War. 

consisting primarily of 40-pound 

shape charges and MK-82, 500- 

pound bombs, to make cuts in the 

runway and taxiway At Jaliba Air 

Base, they made 27 cuts in the pavement to deny a concrete runway 

and two parallel asphalt taxiways. 

During the Gulf m7ar, Air Force 

civil engineers supported the entire 

Air Force in one of the greatest military victories in American history. 

More than 3,000 engineers bedded 

down 55,000 people and 1,200 aircraft at nearly 30 sites. They 

erected 5,000 tents and constructed 

buildings totalling 300,000 square 

feet. Air Force engineers demonstrated that they can provide a good 

living and working environment to 

support the projection of air power 

around the world. 

Operations Other Than 


War 


S	ince the end of the Gulf War 

and the Cold War. sienificant ~ - changes have occurred in the size, 

structure, and mission of the 

American military. For -4ir Force 

civil engineers, the 1990s have 

brought many deployments around 

the world to support military operations other than war. ARer returning from the Gulf War, Air 

Force engineers deployed to Turkey and Iraq to help feed Kurdish refugees during Operation 

August I995 
The Civil Engineer Deputy Civii Engineer 

Directorate of Engineering 

Directorate of Prqrarns 

Air Force Civil Engineer Support 


Agency


lryndali AFB, Florida) 


Provide Comfort. They constructed 

and maintained several base 

camps for the joint and combind 

forces operating in the region. 

Both Prime BEEF and RED 

HORSE personnel participated in 

Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. In addition to completing 

projects at Mogadishu, the engineers constructed 2.4 linear miles 

of revetment to protect Army aviation assets, including Blackhawk 

and Cobra attack helicopters. 

More than 1,000 engineers currently are deployed to Haiti, 

Guantanamo Bay, Bosnia, Kuwait, 

and Saudi Arabia to support military, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations. 

Today's Challenge

At the Air Staff, the civil engineer answers to the Air 

Force Chief of Staff. He is responsible for organizing, training, and 

equipping the 50,000-person 

civil engineering force and for 

the development, construction, 

maintenance, and environmental 

quality of Air Force bases worldwide. He also oversees two field 

operating agencies-the Air Force 

Civil Engineer Support Agency at 

'Pjndall Air Force Base and the Air 

Force Center for Environmental 

Excellence at Brooks Air Force 

Brlse, Qxas (see chart above). 

Air Force civil engineers continue to support the readiness and 

quality-of-life enhancement for all 

Air Force members. For example, 

they provide high-quality, contemporary homes for Air Force families. 

Directorate of Hwsing 

Directorateot Operstlone 

Air Force Center for 

Environmental Excellence 

(Brooks AFB. Texas) 

In conjunction with the other services? they are developing o new construction standard for dormitories 

that features private livinglsleeping rooms and shared bathrooms 

and kitchenettes. This new construction standard will greatly increase the quality of life and provide much-needed privacy for all 

unaccompanied personnel. 

After the 1995 base closure decisions are made, the engineers will 

work to rebuild the Air Force's capital investment budget and make 

better use of technology. They will 

strive to lower the cost of cleaning 

up hazardous waste sites and sustain the air base in spite of reductions in the civilian work force. 

An important challenge for today and tomorrow is 'Sointness." 

Standardization of equipment and 

operating techniques among the 

services will save both time and 

money. Experience has shown that aU 

services can achieve greater effectiveness through joint initiatives such as 

the Interserviee TrainingReview Organization. Joint training provides a 

better perspedive of each service's 

engineering st~xngtls and missions 

By training together, engineers 

will be ready and able to fight to- 

-

wther whenever the time comes. 

Y 

Dr:Ronald B. Haiizer is Historian ariil 

Chief of Professional Communications. ., , 

Air Force Civil Engineer Support 

Agency, ~ndallAir Foi~e Base, Florida. He directed the Lessons Lea~ned 

study for Air Force Engineering and 

Seivices fmm the Gulf War: He holds a 

doctorate degree in histoiy from Indiana Uniuersiby. 

(Personnl Vzewpoint, continued 

front page 19.) 

assuming mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum. And we're not 

hardening for electromagnetic 

pulse any more. It appears we're 

practically asking an enemy to do 

something dramatic. 

Strategically, the situation may 

be even worse. An article in the 

June 12-18 issue of Defense News, 

titled 'lnformation Warfare Sparks 

Security Affairs Revolution," describes cyberspace war: "without a 

shot being fired by wrecking a nation's information infrastructure, 

including military, banking and 

telephone systems, power grids 

and computer networks." Furthermore, according to Vice Admiral 

Arthur Cebrowski, director for 

command, control, communications, 

and computers on the joint staff, 

"the United States is extremely 

vulnerable to acyber-attack." Vindication for the Wizards! 

Security from cyber-attack is a 

formidable task facing us. Other 

technical problems such as soRware and connectivity may prove 

to be easier to fix than I envision. 

My observation is that we tend to 

suffer for a long time with some 

poorly designed systems. Bad so&- 

ware and shaky connectivity! The 

solution goes far beyond just using 

consistent commands for common 

functions. My nightmare is a battlefield system like the PROFS 

message system we've struggled 

with for so long. 

The opportunities of informational warfare deserve the enthusiasm they're getting. Criticism, 

however constructive, is regarded 

as "Luddism" and "flat-Earthism." 

I believe that we need to turn over 

some Force XXI rocks! We are lessthan responsible if we do not think 

thin@ through! 

Jeb Stewart is an analyst for the U.S. 

Aimy Engineer Sehwl. A giw.duate of 

Wrginia mh, he has a Mbter of Science degree in Defense and Stmiegic 

Studies and is a gmduate of the Camrnand ancl Geneid Staff College and 

the Amy Management Staff College. 
- - 

Dynamic Improvements at the 


National Training Center 


By Major Tom Buning 

ahe National Training Center (NTC) at Fort 

Irwin, California, is changing to meet the 

training and leadership needs of the Army's CONUSbased heavy divisions. Clearly the Army's eye is on 

the future: The framework for Force XXI is outlined 

and a new experimental force within the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, is being organized. Training, however, is still based on the reality that our go-to-war divisions must fight current 

doctrine, organizations, and equipment. Faced 

with the need to more fully train the entire brigade 

combat team @CT) in the art of armored maneuver 

warfare, the NTC is implementing some significant 

changes. 

In today's smaller, CONUS-based, power-projection Armv. the BCT is likelv to conduct limited independent,"iactical-level operations. The NTC has revised the vehicle for training this critical element of 

our force based on an assessment of the Army's program for training warfighting commanders. The 

Army's structured Combat Training Center program 

allows for comprehensive training at the task force 

level and below. Brigades deploy to the NTC for 14 

days of intensive training. The previous requirement 

to rotate battalion-sized task forces through the livefire phase meant that an entire brigade with all subordinate task forces trained together for only 3 days 

during the last two missions. The Battle Command 

Training Program (RCTP), based at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, conducts the warfighter exercise program to train corps and division commanders and 

their staffs. They conduct simulated combat using 

computer-driven exercises against an uncooperative 

enemy In the overall training strategy provided by 

36 Engineer 

the CTCs, the shortfall of greatest concern to our 

warfighting commanders is the need to improve the 

brigade commanders' ability to fight and maneuver 

their forces. 

Based on the objectives of heavy division commanders in FORSCOM, the NTC has developed new 

scenarios that enhance training realism and emphasize the importance of hrigade operations. We have 

changed everything from the Operations Group 

training METL to scenario development. 

July 1995's Rotation 95-10 will initiate a new program that features full-up brigade-level operations. 

Now the brigade will provide command and control 

for its major subordinate commands through 6 days 

of live-fire and 8 days of force-on-force training. 

These changes are designed to complement the comprehensive training focus provided by the task force 

observerlcontroller training teams. 

The most critical changez to brigade operations 

training are in the live-fire phase. New targets in 

the live-fire training area will allow the entire BCT 

to participate in offensive and defensive maneuvers. 

(The terrain and lack of essential targets previously 

limited training to one mechanized battalion-sized 

task force at a time.) Now brigades will fight as a 

team to put steel on target to destroy an entire 

Krasnovian Division. 

When hrigades conduct live-fire maneuvers, safety 

considerations escalate. Starting in October 1995, new 

NTC trainers will attend a full program of instruction 

at the newly created Observer/Controller Academy to 

satisfy the increased safety requirements. At this academg: NTC trainers will verify their understanding of 

August 1995 
both the rules of engagement (ROE) and the safety 

considerations inherent in brigade-level live-fire 

operations. The live-fire training team, the Draguns, 

will be reorganized to provide complete training coverage for two task forces. The Dragons retain overall 

responsibility for training because they have extensive knowledge of the terrain, targets, weapons, and 

maneuver safety. For continuity and comprehensive 

training at all levels of the engineer unit's command 

and staff, the Sidewinder Combat Engineer Battalion Training Team will provide training coverage to 

engineer battalions through both the live-fire and 

force-on-forcephases. 

Command and control of the player units also 

take on a new dimension. A brigade probably will 

stay under the control of the 52nd Infantry Division 

throughout the rotation. This change creates a training opportunity for Operations Group planners to 

replicate division command and control cells, such 

as establishing a division tactical command post 

(DTAC).The DTAC will provide tactical battlefield 

command and control and increase the brigade's ability to realistically train the BCT's reporting and 

coordination requirements to higher headquarters. 

NTC trainers may employ available technology 

such as distributed training using either video teleconferencing or the teletraining network (TNET). 

This capability provides an opportunity to train 

future leaders using a "classroom without walls" interface between TRADOC schools and NTC trainers. 

Preliminary planning now underway will determine 

the potential for conducting a command post exercise during eech NTC rotation for key leaders in the 

brigade's third task force. Fighting as adjacent units 

on the same NTC terrain, against the same opposing force, the third task force's command and staff 

will execute their portion of the brigade mission 

through a computer-aided battle simulation. 

Under the new program, division commanders 

assume a key role in determining the training goals 

and objectives for their unit's NTC rotation. The 

process is finalized when a division commander approves the scenarios written by the Operations 

Group planners for his brigade's upcoming rotation. 

The division's engineer brigade commander and staff 

have the same opportunity to provide training scenario input for their engineer battalion's rotation. 

The Sidewinders will work closely with the engineer 

brigade and battalion commanders as they prepare 

to deploy the battalion to the NTC. Tbgether they 

will identify the mission-essential tasks that the 

commanders want to emphasize during the rotation. 

The Sidewinders then will focus on observing the 

performance of those task throughout the rotation 

and provide requested feedback. If the battalion's 

input is received early enough, it can affect development of the exercise scenario. 

For the July rotation, the Sidewinders will bring 

on-line the communications equipment needed to 

replicate an engineer brigade headquarters. Use of 

that equipment will reinforce the requirement for 

engineer battalion command posts to report and coordinate with their higher engineer headquarters. 

The end result of these changes is focused and realistic training. A brigade combat team will be introduced to the changes in the NTC experience during 

the unit's train-up. To more fully prepare the entire 

team's command and staff for an NTC rotation, hoth 

the quality and scope of the former FORSCOM Leaders lkaining Program have been changed dramatically Renamed the Leaders Training Program and 

moved under the NTC's Operations Group, it is now 

a 6-day course that is conducted about 120 days 

prior to the rotation. As many as 75 members of a 

unit's team may attend the intense, commandtailored session. Billeted and fed at Fort Irwin, the 

unit conducts orders drills, executes a JANUS battle 

simulation computer exercise, and observes NTC battles and after-action reviews. NTC observerlcontrollers serve as primary instructors and coaches 

through hoth the core training and the optional electives selected by the commander. 

From an engineer perspective, the conversion to brigade operations pmvides an excellent opportunity for 

the engineer battalion commander to fight hiunits on 

the battlefield. Now the main effort can be weighted 

through a task organization of critical engineer assets. 

The assets remain two line companies, a headquarters 

and headquarters company, and a platoon slice fmm a 

combat support equipment company that includes 

D7 dozers. 

During some rotations, the brigade may also receive Reserve Component engineer digging assets 

for limited operations. Management of these assets 

will provide ample opportunity to test the battalion's 

command and control and planning processes. How 

well the battalion meets this challenge under the 

stressful conditions of realistic simulated combat operations will determine if they need more coaching or 

additional doctrinal t,raining. The bottom line is that 

engineer battalion commanders and their senior staff 

who return to troops for the first time in an engineer 

restructure initiative @RI) battalion will be more 

fully trained to fight the new organization. The upgraded NTC training will force them to use their dedicated battalion staff to effectively plan and synchronize engineer activities and effects on the battlefield. 

Other recent initiatives also affect training at 

the NTC: 

m The NTC opposing force (OPFOR) is fighting 

new doctrine! TRADOC PAMs 360-12 through 

360-17 provide interim guidance until a new 

FM 100-60, Opposing Force, series is fielded. 

In accordance with a TRADOC memorandum 

dated 13 March 1995, the FM 100-2 series 

should no longer be used to develop training. 

The OPFOR now has capabilities-based doctrine, tactics, and organizational design. As a 

result, they can replicate the full range of 

operational threats that demonstrate greater 

levels of initiative and agility. The new doctrine 

describes the baseline threat that will be used 

in all Army interactive simulation programs. 

SAWEMLES I1 is on board and begins operating with the July 95 rotation. Combat systems 
on the NTC battlefield now are monitored with 

a GPS-based tracking system. Personnel and ve. 

hicle vulnerabilities to direct and indirect fires 

and surface area weapons are simulated using 

upto-date technology. Computers assess casualties resulting fmm direct fire,indired conventional weapons, chemical weapons, and both indirect fire-delivered and ground-emplaced 

mines. (See Engineer, April 1995, page 58.) 

# An interim ROE manual will be distributed in 

July 1995 to units scheduled for upcoming NTC 

rotations. It includes all previous changes and is 

updated for use with the SAWE/MILES I1 training aids. Mass distribution of a final ROE manual is scheduled for distribution in the first quarter of FY96. 

m The Armored vehicle Launched MICLIC 

IAVLM) has been approved for use at the NTC. 

The Army Materiel Command has type-classified and issued the approved design criteria for 

a mounting device that allows the MKl55 

MICLIC launcher to be mounted on the armored 

vehicle launched bridge (AVLB) M48A5W60 

chassis. Procedures for the fabrication, 

installation, and use of the AVLM mounting device are described in Change 1to Technical Manual (TM) 9-1375-215-14&P, dated December 

1992. The change was distributed 30 June 1995. 

Mr. Michael Dawson, the point of contact, may 

be reached at (309) 782-1521 or DSN 793-1521. 

An article dmcribing the mission and assignment policy of the Sidewinder Combat Engineer 

Training Team will appear in a future issue of 

the Engineer Officer Bulletin. 

The NTC is implementing these changes with one 

goal in mind: Orchestrating the training rotation 

into a positive event that ultimately prepares the 

brigade combat team to more effectively conduct 

well-planned, synchronized combat operations. Meeting this goal fulfills the NTC philosophy of focusing 

and directing change rather than reacting to it. 

Future changes in force structure, size, and equipment are inevitable. In anticipation, NTC stands 

ready to lead the way in training the force. Y 

Major Tom Buning is the engineer battalion S3 trainer at 

the National Training Center, Fort Irwin. Previolls assignments include battalion 53, 5th Engineer Battalion, and 

more than 28 months of company command in the 23rd 

Engineer Battalion, including a 6-month deployment for 

Operation Desert Storm. He is a graduate of the Command 

and General Staff College and holds a master of science 

degree in engineering management from the University of 

Missouri, Rolla. 

Engineer is pleased to initiate a new department that 

focuses on the Army's Combat TYaining Centers. Our intent is 

to promote communications among the CTCs, the Engineer 

School, and the engineer force. We invite your comments and 

suggestionsregarding this or other magazine departments. 

Battle Command Training Program 

Trends from recent warfighter exercises: 

Obstacle Command and Control. 

The doctrine in FM 90-7 is good, but many units 

do not use the manual. 

# Recording, tracking and disseminating enemy 

obstacles are problems for all divisions and corps. 

The biggest problem is that many units lack an assigned staff engineer (Field Artillery, Air Defense 

Artillery, Signal, etc.). Many engineer brigades are 

developing databases for use on a tactical Local 

38 Engineer August 1995 
Area Network (LAN) to record and 

track obstacles. The next step is to develop the discipline needed to check 

with the staff engineer of the maneuver unit that owns the terrain. The 

staff engineer can verify obstacle locations and lanes through them. 

Many divisions do not plan for obstacle control during offensive operations. 

They should war-game to identify obstacles needed to defeat enemy munterattacks or flank attacks and to protect the flanks of a penetration. On order, they should incorporate obstacle Readiness Training Center 

zones into the plan based on results of 

the war game. Engineer Strengths. Engineers conScatterable Mines. Engineers often tinue to perform individual tasks to standfail to utilize the capabilities of scatterable ard. Both sappen and 

mines. M~~~ corps commanders place tight operators are proficient at all skill level 1 

controls over the use of scatterable mines tasks. 

(i.e.,require commander approval) but The following engineer proficiencies place conventional mines anywhere within need emphasis: approved obstacle zones. Reliance on conventional mines hurts the engineers' ability Combined Arms Route-Clearance 

to rapidly emplace a defense or to add Operations. Recommend that all soldiers 

depth to the defense. One division's good take mine awareness training. Modify the 

technique for exploiting the capabilities of SALUTE report format to report ohstacle 

scatterable mines was to tie their counter- intelligence. Develop and use an enemy 

attack to the expiration times of their scat- obstacle marking standing operating proceterable minefields. The corps delegated dure (SOP). Conduct route clearance as a 

authority to emplace mines to the division combined arms operation. 

commander, who delegated the use of 48-

hour ground-emplaced Volcano mines to Combined Arms Obstacle Integration. 

the maneuver brigade commanders. Phase Recommend that units conduct leader trainlines were used to establish times when ing on echelons of obstacle planning. Despecific obstacle zones could be cleared of velop a situational obstacle planning and 

scatterable mines. Engineers used a wmbi- execution SOP. Conduct mine supply operanation of 4- and 48-hour scatterable mines tions using mine dumps or battalion Class 

to create an obstacle that cleared itself as IVIClass V supply points. Emplace linear 

the counterattack moved forward. obstacles as well as point obstacles. 

Intelligence Preparation of the Combid Arms Breaching @eratiom. 

Battlefield (IPB). Engineers at all levels Recommend that units apply the five 

must participate in the IPB and be the ex- breaching tenets to all breaching operapert on enemy engineer capabilities. They tions. Conduct a reverse planning semust apply engineer knowledge of the ter- quence. Conduct full-force breach rehearsrain to template enemy engineer activity als. Implement a training program for 

and continuously update the template as combined arms breaching operations. 

enemy engineer units are identified. Engineers must influence the targeting of en- Engineer Battle kking/Reporting. 

emy engineers. One unit identified specific Recommend that units revise engineer tacenemy engineer systems for targeting and tical command post (TAC) SOPS. Develop 

published a 'WANTED poster to help get tactical operations center (TOC) charts and 

their point across. That unit effectively displays for mission-essential information. 

prevented the enemy from fully installing Use all communications systems available 

his defense. within the task force. 

Augusf I995 Engineer 39 
- - 

Integrating the Engineer Operations Cell 

Into the Battalion Task Force TOC 

By Captain Thomas L.Sands, Jr. 

No one likes to admit that 

he enjoys the tactical operations center (TOC). In fact, 

most people avoid it at all costs, 

especially when an orders process or a rehearsal is in full 

swing. I must confess that, as an 

engineer company executive officer KO), I felt. more comfortable 

taking care of maintenance, logistics, and other operations with 

a hands-on approach. At least 

that was my reasoning 

as I roamed the National Training Center 

(NTC) battle areas 

in my HMMW, far 

from the task force 

TOC. Fortunately the 

observer-controllers 

(OCs) pointed out, in 

no uncertain terms, 

the doctrinal error of 

my ways. The exact 

quote was "The TOC is 

broken." Everything 

from shift manning to 

reports processing was 

dysfunctional; we inefficiently served the engineers and the maneuver force. 

Ixvasable to makeup 

for my mistakes when I 

returned to the NTC 11 

rotations I changed from a combat XO to a plans officer. I came 

to appreciate the challenge of 

maintaining a solid, functional 

company TOC within the framework of the maneuver task force 

TOC. 

Within the TOC, the engineer 

plans cell integrates into the maneuver TOC and its associated 

staff members, the higher engineer 

unit, and th~! engineer company 

,,, 

d 

- . , : .

. . - .. . 

... 

for combined support of the maneuver task force. This service is 

no small task for two or three noncommissioned officers (NCOs), a 

driver, and a lieutenant.. As the 

plans officer, the XO supervises 

his unit, and he must forge a working relationship with the supported task force's TOC. Together, 

the TOC crew, the XO, and the 

maneuver staff influence the creation of future plans and the 

.. 


months later. Between The engineer company TOCAPC is plugged into the task force TOC complex, 

40 Engineer Alrgilsr 1995 
effective execution of engineer 

operations. In this article, I 

will review the latest doctrinal :

' information, as I saw it at the 

NTC, pertaining to the duties ;. 

oftheXO, the operations NCO, 

and the TOC crews, and their 

combined efforts to oversee the 

execution of the plan. 

Executive Officer I 

The field XO has to shed 

the active, jack-of-alltrades garrison role and 

adapt to static life as a fullfledged staff officer. Even 

though he takes on the title 

of plans officer, he must still 1 

know the status of functions 

familiar to all XOs, such as 

maintenance, supply, fuel, 

uersonnel. ammunition. and 

equipment. Therefore, the 

company's first sergeant must 

carry the ball on tracking 

lozistic - functions. while the 

motor sergeant handles the he bank caplain and engineer company plans officer (XO) confer. 

-. . .~-

maintenance issues. And 

when the company commander is unavailable, the XO 

acts on his behalf. In short, he 

runs the command and control , 

' node, which handles all the administrative and operational aspeck of the company This allows 

the commander to devote his energy to fighting the battle in the 

field, not in the TOC. 

The XO must integrate with the 

task force staff from the moment 

the company TOC links with the 

maneuver TOC. When he receives 

an order from higher headquarters, he begins the engineer planningprocess with the task force S2 

section as it conducts the intelligence preparation of the battlefield (?FBI. The engineers receive 

and write the corresponding engineer battlefield assessment CEBA). 

It will beusedas a planningtool by 

the engineer elements that receive 

output from the wmpany TOC. 

The plans officer continues to mirror the maneuver planning process by analyzing the mission, developing the scheme of engineer 

I 

; 

i 

1 

i 

! 

operations, recommending a 

course of action to the engineer 

commander, and finalizing the 

engineer plan. Throughout the entire process, the engineer staff 

must be fully integrated task force staff to synchronize with the all 

aspects of the plan. 

Engineer Plan. The meat 

of the engineer scheme of maneuver-the essential tasks derived 

from the higher unit maneuver operation order (OP0RD)-must be 

in the task force OPORD. The 

plans officer must fight to prominently position engineer tasks in 

Paragraph 3 (execution) of the maneuver OPORD where all maneuver personnel will see them. Too 

often the engineer plan becomes 

an engineer annex to the maneuver OPORD. The engineer XO and 

the staff do too much detailed 

analysis of the terrain and enemy 

and friendly capabilities to bury 

theplan in an annexto the OPORD. 

Many tankers, infantrymen, and 

I 

I 

i 


1 

i 


; 

' 

i 

, 

cavalrymen do not read the engineer annex. 

Engineer Integration. 

During my first NTC rotation as 

XO, the wmpany supported an armored cavalry squadron. I 

watched the 52 and his battlefield 

intelligence collection coordinator 

conduct the IPB during summer 

training. Initially, I tried to actively participate in their analysis; 

however, as they were always 

pressed for time to produce the 

modified combined obstacles overlay, Isoon realized I was being left 

out. I observed their intelligsnce 

efforts and independently worked 

my own EBA. The staff briefings of 

mission analysis and courses of action to the task force commander 

also excluded the engineer-to 

the point where the company commander and I were present 

only as sounding boards. We had 

no input to briefings unless the 

task force commander asked for 

advice or we spoke out about a 

certain point. The OCs at the NTC 

.4ugwr 1995 Engineer 41 
thoughtthis situation was unsatisfactory: As the plans officer, I 

needed to force myself into the 

planning process and integrate 

with all participants. 

Before returning to the drawing 

board to determine how to integrate into the task force staff, I 

took some glancing blows on the 

subject of the company OPORD, 

which is closely related to the engineer annex. The commander and 

I debated how and when to get the 

company OPORD produced and 

briefed to the platoon leaders. We 

decided to put all the information 

needed by the task force in their 

base OPORD and use the engineer 

annex as the wmpany OPORD. By 

making a few adjustments to the 

flexible doctrine covering the 

structure of the engineer annex, 

we ended up with a combination of 

an engineer company OPORD and 

anengineer annex to the squadron 

OPORD. The work of the plans 

officer was to write the engineer 

annex, the engineer company 

OPORD, and insert what he could 

into the main text of the task force 

OPORD. 

There is no substitute for experience. In the second rotation, the 

commander was in the field commanding and the plans officer was 

in the TOC managing the time, 

resources, and personnel over the 

radio and through orders processes.As both theadministrator of 

the company OPORD and thestaff 

engineer, I sought guidance from 

the commander and interacted 

with the fire support officer, the 

chemical officer, the 32, the 33, 

and the task force XO and commander. With the commander's 

approval, I issued warning orders 

to the platoon leaders, giving them 

early notice to prepare for missions before joining the supported 

minimal face-to-face contact with 1 

the first sergeant, motor sergeant, I '

Mamging the hands-on aspects 

of TOC integration and those who executed the plans. 

I succeeded once I made that men- Changes to the physical location 

tal connectionand learned toman- / of the TOC are a constant battle 

age resources without pl~ysicall~. for workers who erect extensions, 

seeing or touching them. I derived : put up nets, run wire, man guard 

great satisfaction from makingt,he ' posts, regulate traffic and parkplans, issuing the instructions, : ing, and copy overlays and orders. 

and then watching the plans be- I The operations NCO provides 

come reality Outstanding assis- 1 leadership within the company 

tance from the company 'iWC crew TOC. He deals with the task force 

ensured that I had all the tools to operations sergeant major while 

make the planning process work, the soldiers focus on gathering inWithout a cohesive unit collecting formation for the XO. 

necessary information and send- , xngineers are always squared 

ing out required reports, even the 1 away!3. hi^ compliment was a 

best planner will fail. 1 double-edged sword for our TOC. 

I Our o~eratiomNCO (a staff serTOC Crew 

The TOC crew's role is 

more straightforward - than the XO's. It helps when a 

senior sergeant first class with 

successful platoon sergeant experience fills the position of operations NCO. He understands 

how platoons operate in the field 

(what they need to know and 

when they need to know it) and 

how to issue and receive guidance, develop and execute plans, 

and track units in the field. His 

performance provides the foundation-that intangible asset of 

spirited crew teamwork both 

within the company TOC and the 

maneuver task force TOC-on 

which the company plan is built. 

The operations NCO's duties 

include: 

Obtaining company statuses 

for the plans officer. 

Informing the higher maneuver force TOC of company 

statuses. 

gean;), the NBC NCO (a sirgeant), and the M577 Command 

Track operator t,ook pride in getting the operating environment 

organized and in working order 

before anyone else in the task 

force TOC. I applauded this accomplishment and shared their 

pride. We were ready to work, 

even though the entire team did 

not always share our attitude. The 

leadership challenge was to get 

out and do whatever it took to set 

up the entire TOC mmplex The 

task force appreciated our efforts 

and treated us asa part of the team. 

The operations NCO's leadership 

provided that critical edge to keep 

the crew focused on doingthe necessary tasks whether they wanted to 

or not. This focus helped because I 

knew that they were receivingand 

sending information as necessary, 

and I could concentrate on developing plans and orders. 

The operations NCO also maintains shift manning schedules and 

sleep plans and ensures that information is exchanged from one 

shift to the next. Every aspect is 

crucial to the success of the commake sense, although it took time 

to get used to taking care of the 

logistics and maintenance with 

troops or entering their assigned 

engagement areas, and briefed the 

OPoRDs. I had become the engineer company plans officer. 

Remaining in the TOC began to 

Updating the higher engineer 

command of operations at the 

wmpany level. 

24-hour field operations over 14 

consecutive days with two NCOs, 

one vehicle operator and the XO. 

Forwarding information to the 

maneuver task force, both di. 

rectly and through task force 

TOC channels. 

42 Engineer A "gust 1995 

PaW the ConIPanY TOC, and the 

entire operation, but it is a tough 

area to master and implement effectively Given those tasks, the 

conditions are to vlan and execute 
The task force TOC at the Nationai Training Center. 

Augi~stI995 Engineer 43 

The standard is to provide adequate support to the company and 

maneuver forces for the entire 

two-week period. There should be 

I the plan from higher headquar- Provide instant answers to the ters as well as facts from the plans officer, the higher field that affect the plan. Everyneer command, and the ma- , one needs continuous feedhack 

two people available at all times to , neu"er force. 1 and updates, and the most overloolred place to Post the updates 

is within the maneuver TOC. 

When OPoRD is 

troop-leading procedures shiR into 

high gear. Commanders arrive to 

monitor the radios and provide For safety reasons, the M577 

status updates to all concerned , driver the day shift to maxilocations. mize the quality of his rest. Since 

The XO, as the primary engi- 1 the backup NCO also works dur. 

neer staff representative, makes ing the day, the unit NBC NCO 

plans throughout the night so the 

OPORD will he ready at dawn, 

Therefore, it is impossible for him 

to run the TOC during the plantakes the night shift, hi^ duty 1 receive their orders from the task 

staffing well except when , force commander, and the staff 

daytime heat makes sleep difficult , looks forward to the next major 

, when the TOC moves, B~~~~~ ! event-the task force rehearsal. 

ning process. Most problems and . moves occur both during the day , However, before the rehearsal can 

questions from the company typi- and at night, everyone has arough troops must prepare the 

cally arise when the planning is , time with their sleep plan, ~h~ the engineer plan 

taking place, because the unit is 1 problem can be alleviated by pro. enough for the maeither moving or making initial 

preparations for the upcoming 

mission. These are critical moments; situations can quickly deteriorate, and reputations are on 

"iding shift change information 53 representatives 

and recording informa. I to construct the rehearsal site, or 

tion in the log, onthe board, an engineer representative must 

and on the engineermap board, talk them through the OPORD. 

hi^ process of transitioning the , Sl~iflchanges and information 

the line. This is when the corn- outgoing and incoming shifts 

mander is likely to get on the radio , minimizes problems caused by 

and demand answers. : sleep deprivation-ne problem 

flow arecrucial at this point, with 

respect to the sleep plan, because 

the plans officer probably is 

As the engineer TOC ~e~ond in i beingthe failure to sufficiently in- , asleep. 

command, the operations NCO 1 form the new shift, The length of the shifts alone 

uses his experience, engineer make them difficult, but. another 

knowledge, and resources to run thing that makes them hard is the 

the TOC during the day. He ! Working Together failure to adequately pass along 

must- T pertinent information. My goal 

he fruit of the combined la- was to ensure that the TOC never Understand the mission. bors of the plans oficer had to say, "We don't know. The 

m Know the location of the and the TOC crew is the smooth 1 last guy didn't say anythingabout 

subunits and which elements execution of the plan. The TOC I that." We only had that problem 

are moving. I must track progress, report to i once, as far as major items were 

the maneuver force, and forward concerned, and that was when I 

a Know the status of logistics, ' 

reports to higher commands. It is failed to pass a copy of the time 

maintenance, and personnel. important to track changes to line to the operations NCO when 
passed up and across en- 

-1 gineer and maneuver 

channels 

The Challenge -

I was fortunate to have two opportunities to 

excel at the NTC in the 

position of company XO. 

The second time: I took an 

additional step and served 

as the ~lans officer. The 

job was not much diffeerent 

from what I had learned 

in the Engineer Officer 

Basic Course as a task 

force engineer At that 

time, I thought it was 

tougher because the task 

force englneer was also 

the platoon leader. Even 

now, the plans officer is 

The plans officer (XO) briefs the scheme of engineer operations overlooking Red Lake Pass. 	 not 'fully the task force 

engineer, as that title is 

he came on the day shift. I inad- TOC reflects the status, and the bestowed on the comvertently gave the only copy to the ; overmatching unit is aware of the pany commander. 

commander and left my TOC in : obstacle. Through my experiences at 

the dark. As a result, the opera- i A point of contention was the NTC, I learned to be a disciplined 

tions NCO failed to request ap- extent to which the TOC should plans officer, to integrate within 

proval for the FASCAM plan be- update other primary staff secthe maneuver staff, and to accept 

cause he didn't know I wanted him tions. The issue required the com- the challenge to my sanity that 

to do that at 1000 hours. ARer mander's guidance when each unit was part of TOC operations. Althat, shift change checklists and developed its SOP. We were dis- though the TOC was in working 

TOC copies of time lines and or- mayed when the FASCAM mine- order for that NTC rotation, I canders became a priority, and we ! field destroyed two friendly scouts not help but look forward to the 

made sure that all information as they collapsed the screen line. day when I become a commander. 

passed from person to person. , We had approval from the brigade I will command from the field 

Often the pace of the operation when we installed the minefield while my XO stays in the TOC, 

causes many changes or updates ! the night before. The task force formulating the plans and calling 

me for guidance. Sine I can't go in the company, and while all af- 1 staff was aware of the minefield, back in time to be a line platoon fected personnel are notified, the and the overwatching company 

staff may be unaware of the i commander knew its exact limits. leader, I must look ahead to the 

status. The plans officer must pro- I Still, two vehicle commanders days when I can command from the 

front. I'll be looking for a goodXO. vide that service within the task / were uninformed or otherwise un- " - force TOC as part of a battle drill aware that they had to consider : m 

in the company TOC. Crew mem- their return route from the front Captain Sands is to the 2d 

bers must know that information lines. ~t the NTC, they only died Engineer B~igde, Re~dlk of Korea. 

goes from the radio into the record for 24 hours, but in real life the I He serves as the XO for the 43rd 

log, then circulates among the Con~bat Engineer Company, 3d Arcommander be writing let- mored Calua~y Regiment, during two staff cells, and finally ends up on ters of condolence to their families. NTC rotations, He a 


an updated map board. Unfortu- Communication inside and out- leade, for another rotation addu,..
 nately, passing buck slips is just side the TOC is always crucial but , ing ~~~~~~i~~ D~~~~~~j~~ld,~~~

passing the buck. Problems can never more so than when updating ' captainsands is a graduate of the 


still occur when engineers em- the world on operational activities Engineer Office). Adi;anced Course 


place an obstacle, even though the and statuses. Information on criti- and holds a bachelor's degree porn 


OPORD shows where it is, the cal obstacle locations must be I the U.S. Milita~y Academy. 


44 Engineer 	 A~cg~crr1995 
~n~ineer Solution 

Immediate Actian Procedures for Chemical or Petroleum Spills 

An individual discovering a petroleum or hazardous substance spill will take the actions listed below. The 

sequence in which the actions are performed depend on the circumstances and instaliation-specific guidance. Caution must be exercise&the primary concern for all actions is to protect personnel from effects of 

the spill. Protection of the environment is secondary. 

Warnlng: 

Approach spills from upwind where possible. Avoid physical contact with spilled chemicals or 

petroleum products. 

I Protect yourself and othersfrom harm. 

- Evacuate the premises if necessary. 

- Use appropriate protective clothing. 

- Extinguish smoking materials away from the spill. 

- Remove other sources of potential ignition. 

2 Stop the flow if possible (only if it can be done safely). 

- Close the valve. 


-Turn a ruptured or punctured container so that the point of exit is up 


- Place the leaking container In another container (over-pack drum). 

3 Notify the fire department and the organization's chain of command. 

- Call the fire department, which has trained personnel who can be immediately dispatched to the scene 

- If the telephone number is busy or there is no response, call 911 or your installation's equivalent. 

- Report all spills, regardless of quantity, through the chain of command to the installation's point of 

contact (POC). 

3. Confine the spill if possible (only if it can be done safely). 

- Protect the floor or storm drains (cover them with mats; surround the spill with absorbent material). 

- Shovel sand, sawdust or sweeping compound on the spilled material or place sandbags in the path of 

the flow. 

- Place sweeping compound, absorbent pillows, pads or mats to confine the spill. 

- Continue confinement efforts until the initial response team, normally the fire department, arrives. 

List these procedures in the unit's standing operating procedure (SOP) and spill contingency plan. Check 

with your installation's environmental office and chain of command for specific guidance. 

This Probiern/Solufion was provided byMajor David Neeiey. Chief of Leadership and Environmental 

Division, Directorate of Training and Doctrine, U.S. Army Engineer SchooL 

A1rgusl199.7 Engineer 45 
LESSONS LEARNED: 

Joint Engineer Operations 

By Vern Lowery 

"....The Joint Task Force J4 engineer cell stood up on provide additional civilian engineer capabilities in areas 

24 July 1994 at Stuffgart [Germany] and rapidly ex- such as construction contracting, real-estate acquisipanded to a staff of 7 officers (U.S. Army, Na& andAir tion, and construction management. 

Force), 1I NCOs and 1enlisted clerk. Deliberate planning (development of the civil engineering support plan, Recommendations: Joint force deployment planners develop a handbook that describes joint engineer LoGCAPplanning, mapremnnaissance, and prepara- Use this handbook to tailor and package tion of map overlay products) began immediately..." the minimum joint engineer force needed to meet future 

From the Operation Support Hope-Rwanda After theater mission requirements. 

Action Report. 

Since Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in 1983, 

Army engineers have supported more than 100 

joint deployments for training, war, and operations other 

than war (OOTW). All of these deployments involved 

joint service engineer forces. The following information 

describes a common thread of lessons learned from 

these operations to help ensure successful engineer 

missions. Army engineer units are urged to apply these 

lessons as they train to deploy for their next joint 

mission--wherever it may be. 

Issue: Joint engineer capability 

Discussion: U.S. Army engineer units, commanders, and staffs operate jointly with Air Force. Navy, and 

Marine Corps engineer forces during force-projection 

operations. Each service brings specific engineer capabilities to support operational missions. Air Force Prime 

BEEF and RED HORSE squadrons are premier construction forces, as are Army combat heavy, Navy Seabee, and Marine engineer support battalions. Marine 

combat engineers perform missions similar to those performed by Army combat engineers but focus on supporting landing operations. All services have speciai engineer units that provide unique capabilities, such as 

Navy underwater-construction teams, Air Force 

pavement-repairteams, and Army prime-power teams. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the 

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) both 

Issue: Joint engineer assessment. 

Discussion: Recent deployment experiences demonstrate the critical need for an early assessment of engineer mission requirements in the operational theater. 

Assessments determine the joint engineer force structure needed to perform missions, including the need for 

host nation and civilian-contracted engineers. Early assessments also identify engineer logistics requirements 

for demolitions, mines, force protection materials, and 

construction materials needed in theater. 

Recommendations: Prior to deployment, the joint 

force engineer staff gather engineer-related information 

from all availsble sources including historical documents, maps, area handbooks, and reports from recently deployed joint engineer units. Talk with engineer 

units, agencies or civilian contractors already operating 

in the area. Ensure that the joint engineer staff is part 

of the advance party that deploys into the theater to 

confirm engineer requirements. Early assessment information must be immediately transmitted to joint 

force deployment planners and logisticians, who will 

use it to determine follow-on engineer force packaging 

and strategic lift requirements. Assess the following as 

a minimum: 

Threat engineer capabilities in likely lodgement 

areas for force protection, countermine, counterobstacle, and early-entry force support requirements. 
IThe status of existing infrastructure in the area of 

operations including airfield, port, road, logistics 

base, and troop bed-down facilities; real-estate 

acquisition; construction material supply; construction management; and line-haul requirements. 

Existing topographic data and product availability 

and requirements for additional terrain visualization products. 

ISpecial joint engineer requirements, such as prime 

power, fire fighting, water detection, and well 

drilling. 

IJoint engineer command and control requirements, 

including headquarters staffing, communications 

and information systems. 

IEngineer liaison requirements, including linguists 

and civil affairs personnel. 

m The availability of civilian contracting personnel to 

meet mission reauirements. 

Issue: Topographic products. 

Discussion: Only 5 percent of the Earth's land surface is covered with up-to-date, detailed topographic 

map and imagery products. Therefore, joint forces may 

not have the best terrain products available to plan and 

execute military operations when they deploy to contingency theaters. All deploying units require some type of 

map product before they launch forces from CONUS or 

other theaters. Satellite imagery usually is available for 

purchase and use until updated maps are received. 

Once in theater, all joint forces will require some type of 

topographic product. 

Recommendations: The joint force engineer staff 

evaluate the availability of standard and nonstandard 

map products for the area of operation. Where shortfalls exist, the joint engineer staff should work closely 

with the joint force intelligence officer (J2) to define specific topographic product requirements. Through reconnaissance, surveys, and satellite imagery, they will 

coordinate the collection and creation of needed digital 

terrain data. Ensure that terrain-analysis and topographic-reproductioncapabilities are available to the 

joint force throughout the deployment. Consider splitbasing joint topographic capabilitiesfrom CONUS locations. Together with the joint force supply officer (J4), 

determine the need for establishing a joint topographic 

product storage and distribution capability in theater. 

Issue: Joint level engineer special staff 

Discussion: The method used to control joint engineer forces is a key battle-commanddecision. During 

recent deployments, the joint engineer staff performed 

best when they operated as a separate, special staff 

section or when under the joint force J3. These alternative configurations allowed the joint engineer staff to 

efficiently meet both operational and logistics requirements. When placed under the joint force J4, the joint 

engineer forces invariably supported logistics forces in 

theater at the expense of maneuver and other deployed 

units. 

Recommendations: Form the joint engineer staff 

section as a separate, special staff to the joint force 

commander. When engineer mission requirements in 

theater are not extensive, form the joint engineer staff 

under the control of the J3. 

Issue: Separate engineer command and control 

headquarters. 

Discussion: Another key battle-commandconsideration is the method by which joint engineer forces are 

commanded. Experience has shown that engineer work 

is poorly planned and executed when engineers are 

commanded by nonengineer headquarters (logistics or 

administrative). 

Recommendations: Identify a separate engineer 

headquarters to command engineer forces. The headquarters may be service-specificor a joint operation 

depending on the size and composition of the joint engineer force in theater. 

Issue: Joint engineer end state 

Discussion: A clearly defined joint engineer end 

state was essential during recent deployments. It was 

usually described in terms of minimum construction 

standards. The engineer end state helped joint force 

commanders determine their operational end states in 

theater. It also helped define the minimal joint engineer 

force package needed in the area of operations. A 

clearly defined engineer end state also helped mitigate 

indefinite engineer work, which is sometimes called 

"mission creep." When the joint engineer end state Is 

achieved, engineer forces are able to perform other missions in theater or redeploy. 

Recommendations: Basedon the joint engineer assessment of theater requirements,the joint force engineer staff identify and recommend an engineer end 

state to the joint force commander. Avoid modifications 

to the end state after it is approved because changes 

may cause mission creep. 

Issue: Infrastructure repair capability. 

Discussion: Experience has shown that joint force 

missions usually are conducted in areas where the theater infrastructure has been destroyed during combat or 

man-made or natural disasters. Joint engineers are 

tasked to establish some type of bare-base infrastructure to support the deployed forces or to provide displaced civilians with minimal life support and a protected, healthy, and safe environment. Sanitary living 
and working areas usually do not exist. Water supplies 

usually are contaminated. Electric power grids normally 

are off-line. Airfields and ports are not operating at full 

capacity due to damage. 

Recommendations: Joint engineer forces take all 

organic equipment when they deploy. Based on the 

early joint engineer assessment, be prepared to repair 

the infrastructure in the area of operations. 

Issue: Force protection operations. 

Discussion: Joint engineer forces have unique 

equipment and personnel capabilities that support force 

protection efforts. During recent deployments, they constructed protective facilities, bunkers, emplacements, 

vehicle barriers, fences, and other structures needed to 

protect the force. 

Recommendations: Deploying joint engineer 

forces, with the joint force commander, establish the 

required level of protection and minimum construction 

standards for operating and life-support bases. Specify 

the need for security fencing, lighting, obstacles, and 

guard posts. To quickly identify and repair breaches, establish facility securii inspection procedures with military and local law-enforcement personnel. 

Issue: Countermine operations, 

Discussion: Estimates indicate that more than 100 

million uncleared land mines are spread throughout 62 

countries. This equates to about one land mine for 

every 50 people on Earth. Cheap and easily obtained 

or constructed, land mines are the third world's weapon 

of choice. They directly threaten civilian populations 

and joint force operations. Recent deployment experiences clearly show that joint engineers must be proficient in countennine operations. 

Recommendations: Work closely with the joint 

force J2 to determine the land-mine threat in the area 

of operation. Publish a mine-recognition handbook for 

deploying forces. Ensure that deploying forces are 

trained to identify mark, and report encountered land 

mines. Ensure that joint force engineers are fully confident in the use and capabilities of the countermine 

equipment and that the equipment is fully operational. 

Conduct land-mine detection, marking, and removal 

training for joint force personnel assigned to countermine operations. Provide protective equipment and 

mine-resistant vehicles to joint force personnel who conduct countermine operations. Establish, disseminate, 

and enforce route-clearance, area-clearance, and marking procedures for the area of operation. 

Issue: Joint engineer logistics. 

Discussion: Joint engineer forces recently had to 

rely on each other for logistics support for construction 

materials and demolitions. They established joint 

engineer supply yards when theater logistics agencies 

were unable to provide needed materials early in the 

deployment cycle. 

Recommendations: Ensure that adequate construction materials are procured and shipped in time to meet 

initial life-support and force-protection needs. Ensure 

that construction materials flow in with deploying forces. 

With the joint force J4, establish specific locations for 

construction material yards and demolition storage areas. Establish specific requisition and distribution procedures for construction materials and demolitions. 

Issue: Construction Contracting 

Discussion: Joint forces often use civilian contracts 

to meet life-support needs in the area of operation. 

These contracts are primarily administered by the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP). LOGCAP 

contracts include construction contracting, and LOGCAP contractors usually can meet large-scale construction requirements 30 days after an operation begins. 

Smaller projects may be satisfied earlier. Because of 

this capability, joint service engineer construction normally is required only until the LOGCAP construction 

contractor completely arrives in theater. 

Recommendation: Ensure that the LOGCAP construction contracting capability is considered in joint 

engineer force deployment planning. 

Vernon Lowery is the Deputy Baffle Lab Support Element, 

Directorate of Combat Developments at the U.S. Army Engineer School, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. 

Thank You! 

The engineer Lessons Learned function at 

the U.S. Any Engineer School was transferred 

from the Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization (DOES) to the Directorate of Training 

and Doctrine (DOTD) when the school reorganized this spring. For lessons learned inquiries, 

contact Mr. Bill Blackwell at (31 4) 563-7744 or 

DSN 676-7744. Continue to send after-action 

reports from your training exercises and deployments to: Commandant, U.S. Army Engineer 

School, Attn: ATSE-TD-D-LL, Fort Leonard 

Wood, Missouri 65473. Lessons Learned information continues to be available on the Engineer Bulletin Board System and in the Mure 

will be on the Fort Leonard Wood Home Page 

of the Internet World Wide Web. 

We at the Engineer School truly appreciate 

the cooperation provided by you, engineer 

units, and other agencies during the past several years in gathering lessons learned. The 

information you provided has significantly improved engineer doctrine, training, leader 

development, organizations, materiel, and soldier programs! 

August I995 
ItschneY"Tiiiie!IsNear: 


By Captain James Rosenberry 

0n my second day as a company commander 

at Fort Bragg, the battalion commander announced, "I expect each company to submit an 

Itschner book for this year's competition. I need it in 

two weeks ..." 

Memories flashed through my mind of previous 

mmmanders who had put these books together with 

little preparation and who seldom involved other officers in the book's development. So how was I, the 

new guy on the block, going to compile the information for the Itschner book, which reflects the company's previous year? I asked the outgoing commander if he had any photos or documentation to 

help me get started. Handing me a stack of files, he 

answered, Were is some stuff; good luck." In talking 

with others, I learned that many new commanders 

find themselves in similar situations when they assume command in the fall. To help overcome the 

problem, I formed a team of NCOs and my XO to 

work on the project. The next step was to find the 

governing regulations and then learn just who 

Itschner was and what he stood for. After that, we 

were ready to plan a strategy to develop a quality 

submission. 

When the book was completed--on time1 

breathed a sigh of relief. But I vowed that next year 

we would be more prepared. 

Well, it's that time of year again, when engineer 

companies across the Army are documenting their 

activities for the annual Itschner Award cornpetition. 

Based on their submissions, the best engineer company from each Army component-Active, National 

Guard, and Reserve--is recognized at Fort Leonard 

Wood, Missouri, during the ENFORCE XXI (formerly SELTC) conference in April. The competition 

is tough, and the difference between winning and losing may be barely discernible. Commanders, executive officers, platoon leaders, and key soldiers work 

hard all year to gather material for t,heir unit's 

August 1995 

presentation, each hoping to be recognized as "the 

best" from their category 

Regulations 

U SACE sends out a message in October with 

instructions regarding the award submission 

for that year. Currently, USACE message, subject: 

Society of Military Engineers Awards for 199Pthe 

Itschner Award, dated 12 October 1994; and DA mes. 

sage, subject: Awards, dated 5 Odober 1992, provide 

guidelines. These messages, plus examples from 

your unit's previous submissions, provide a good 

start toward preparing an Itschner book. 

The Award 

The Itschner Award is named in honor of Lieutenant General Emerson C. Itschner, the 39th 

Chief of Entzineers. Durine more than three decades 

of selfless service to our nation, Lieutenant General 

Itschner's name became synonymous with engineer 

excellence and leadership, both in peace and in war. 

The coveted silver plaques are presented to the 

engineer companies that best demonstrate and document the values associated with his name. 

Planning Strategy 

T1 

arly planning is the key to preparing a winning submission. Who should be involved? I'd 

suggest you include all of the officers and the first 

sergeant. Explain your intent and assign responsibilities and duties for gathering information throughout the year. Remember that too much information 

is better than not enough. You can always delete 

items, but you can never re-create a moment in time. 

Engineer 49 
I 

Unit photographs such as this one at 

the 536th Engineer Battalion, a previous .' '% . lischner Award winner, is a good way to 

show training situations and events 

pertaining to your mission. --

A good photographer is essential to provide quality photos of all training and other events pertaining to the mission. What constitutes a quality 

photo? First, it must be in focus and have the wrrect exposure. Second, everyone in the photo must 

be in the proper uniform. Third, no safety or environmental violations should be recorded. The photographer should take a variety of shots: close-ups of people doing their jobs (get facial expressions); some 

medium shots, taken a few steps away from the project; and long shots, taken at a greater distance 

from the exercise. 

Ensure that executive summaries, which capture 

the spirit and time of the event, are included with 

photos. Memories may be short-lived or become hazy 

with time, so don't wait until the end of the year to 

try to recapture the event on paper. Schedule progress reports quarterly, and update or change the 

collection plan for your submission as necessary 

Book Design 

ompiling the data may seem overwhelming, 

but be patient with yourself and those who 

assist. The project may be easier to approach if you 

think of each part of the book as an individual project. Begin with a simple, professional-looking wver. 

Previous submissions have often incorporated engineer castles and colors and unit mottos, insignia, 

and memorabilia on the covers; however, the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers currently recommends using an Army issue, three-ring binder. Include a table of contents with properly tabbed markers to 

make the book organized and ftinctional. 

Ensure that there is material to cover all the subcategories required for the hook. Many commanders 

compile outstanding books but fail to abide by the 

criteria. The following areas will be evaluated: 

a Mission statement and mission-essential task 

list. 

a Mission-related accomplishments, including 

training and combat support and construction 

tasks. 

a Professional development programs, such as officer and NCO leadership, military occupational 

specialty/skill enhancement, and education. 

m Recruiting and unit enlistment rates, to include 

first-term enlistments. 

m Morale and welfare programs, such as improvements to troop living conditions; human relations, including drug and alcohol control; reportable government motor vehicle accident statistics, including total miles driven; reportable personal injuries; AWOL and courts martial rates. 

Community relations and domestic action 

programs. 

Highlight combat training center exercises, deployments, disaster-relief operations, and other significant events. Successful books have a balance of photos and text that tell the company's story Photos 

combined with computer graphics and brief descriptions have been very successful. Colored photos, 

paper, and print, with borders and maps, improve 

the book's overall appearance. 

The company's contributions to the image of the Corps 

of Engineers are weighted heavily For example, engineer units that deploy in support of operations in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Macedonia, Central and South 

America, and the Pacific Rim significantly impact on the 

welfare of those people, their political structure, and se 

cia1reform They create a positive image of the Corps of 

Engineers both domestically and internationally 

The Itschner book is an excellent way to maintain 

a unit's history since copies can be archived in the 

battalion headquarters. This documentation is 
a!. 

-

Here, the 769th Engineer Battalion (lop) and the 389th Engineer Battalion (bottom), bath 1994 Itschner Award 

%. 

winners, effectively show their units In action. 

especially helpful during the Army drawdown to 

record a unit's accomplishments. 

Command Support

T T

Unit commanders need command support 

when submitting their nomination for the 

Itschner Award. Not all units submit nominations 

every year, and sometimes those that are submitted 

are thrown together at the last moment to meet a 

requirement. This is not the intent of the Itschner 

Award program. A unit's attitude toward the submission is directly reflected in the overall presentation 

and content of the book. 

Commanders should look at the positive effects of 

the Itsehner Award program. kching junior officers 

&out this program and its importance helps them 

prepare future submissions and promotes better 

team development within the unit. A certain level of 

pride and esprit de corps develops during the submission process. 

If you aren't already documenting your unit's hard 

work and dedication, begin today so you won't have to 

rely on luck and files full of "stuff' when Itschner time 

arrives. Y 

Captain Rosenbemy is a small group instructor for the Engineer Ofher Advanced Course. Hepreviously commanded 

C Company, 37th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne) 

and serued in Operetion Desert ShieldiStonn. He is a mester retedparachutist. Captain Rosenbeny holds a master's 

degree in management from Webster Unwersity and is a 

Commnnd and Geneml Staff College graduate. 

August 1995 Engineer 51 
Maintaining the Tank 


Mine-Clearing Plow 


By Captain John T. Ryan, Captain P. Kevin Dixson, 

and Sergeant First Class James L. Richardson 

The tank mine-clearing plow is a critical task 

force mobility asset. All too often, however, 

mechanical failures, insufficient crew training, or improper tactical employment make the plow seem like 

a mobility liability. Lack of crew training results in 

a mechanical failure or a maintenance problem. This, 

in turn, prevents the crew from training with the 

plow, which results in tactical employment problems. 

FM 20-32, MinelCountennine Operations states: 

"The mine-clearing blade [plow] lifts and pushes 

mines, which are surface-laid or buried up to 12 

inches, to the side of the track. The blade creates 

a 58-inch cleared path in front of each track. The 

skidshoe for each blade exerts enough pressure to 

activate most single-pulse mines and effectively 

clears a section of the centerline by mechanical 

detection. A dogbone and chain assembly between the blades defeats tilt-rod-fused mines." 

The following information will help engineer units 

prevent or solve some of the mast common problems 

associated with the tank mine-clearing plow. We recommend that units follow these techniques and procedures when maintaining this equipment. 

Three maintenance failures account for about twothirds of all plow failures at the National Training 

Center: broken lifting straps, inoperable electric lifting motor, and sheared travel lock spindle and bracket. 

Broken Lifting Straps 

Problem. The nylon lifting straps that raise and 

lower the plow suffer much abuse. The straps frequently are cut or frayed by concertina wire or other 

sharp objects. 

Solzdion. To prevent damage to the straps, some 

units bolt wire catchers, similar to thase on the 

bumper of the old M-151jeep, to the moldboard in 

front of the straps. 

Problem. The straps also break when crew members attempt to lift a plow filled with too much spoil. 

Solution. To prevent strap breakage due to overloading, stop the tank and back up about 3 feet 

when lifting the plow. 

Inoperable Electric Lifting Motor 

Problem. The most common problems with the 

motor are burned-out armature brushes and any of 

Emergency 

Moldboard 

assemblies 

chaln 

52 Engineer August 1995 
several electrical relay malfunctions. The only Recommended PLL Stockage 

authorized repair for burned-out brushes is for a - DS-level mechanic to replace the entire motor. These NSN Nomenclature Quantity 

motors are made in Germany, and orders often take 4010-01-278-1216 Cable, Emergency Release 2 several months to fill. 251041-276-7138 Pushbeam, LH. 1 Solution. File the brushes from an old M-l or 4010-01-2774653 Preventive Chain Assembly 2 

M-213starter down to the size of the armature 4020-01-2894249 Strap, Lifiing 6 brushes and place them in the lifting motor. This 5945-01-277-0085 Solenoid 2 solution will reduce downtime for the plow from about 5945-01-277-0087 Solenoid Umlt Switch 2 three months to about three hours. 

Problem. The electrical relays are not hard to 5945-00-500-7195 Relay 1 

5945-006866877 Relay 1 acquire through normal supply channels, but most 6105-01-2774295 Motor, 3 HP 1 tank units do not keep a supply on hand. 

Solution. Coordinate for electrical relays 5315-01-277-5641 Pin, Attaching 2 

3040-01-K44.2243 Unk 1 

through an adjacent mechanized infantry battalion 5315-01-277-5643 Spindle 4 

equipped with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. 3120-01-277-5652 Travel Lock Roller 4 

Sheared Travel Lock Spindle and Bracket Unit of issue for all items is 'each'. 

Problem. The travel lock spindle often shears 

when the plow drops or hits something while the 

vehicle is moving at high speeds. When the spindle 

shears off, downward motion of the plow causes the 

rest of the spindle to bend or break the bracket in 

which it is mounted. For some reason, the spindles on 

the left travel lock break more oRen than those on the 

Items inthe chart are a recommended PLL stockage listing for a battalion equipped with 12 plows. 

This stockage is based on a 12-month NTC demand 

history. 

Units equipped with this stockage or having access to it will be capable of making rapid repairs on 

the NTC battlefield. hd 

right. In every case, the bracket breaks through the Captain Ryan is a small group instructor at the U.S. 

holes. When a plow breaks at the NTC, units seldom Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. 

can replace the pushbeam during their rotation. 

Solution. The only way to fix the bracket is to 

replace the entire pushbeam. Crews can avoid this 

Captain Dimon is a small group instructor at the US. 

Amy Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. 

time-consuming operation if they drive cautiously Sergeant First Class Richardson (Retired) formerly served 

; when the plow is raised. as an obseruer/controller at the National Training Center. 

b r 

t 

The ENGINEER Writer's Guide Articles should be concise, straightforward, and in the 

active voice. 

Length should range between 2,000 and 4,000 words, 

We think engineers take a special pride in their profes- and the text should be typewritten and double-spaced. 

sion, and Engineer is always looking for articles from Generally, each such page will contain from 200 to 250 

readers who want to share their expertise, experience words. 

and ideas. Articles containing attributable information or quotations 

If you're a potential contributing writer, here are a few not referenced in the story should carry appropriate foot- 

'briter's guide" tips to steer you in the right direction: notes. 

Articles may discuss engineer training, operations, Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not 

doctrine, equipment, history, or other areas of general in- under consideration by another publication. 

terest to an engineer readership. All submissions are subject to editing. 

We're especially Interested in articles that have a Contributors are encouraged to include black-and- 

"how-to-do-it-better" theme. For instance, we're not look- white photos, artwork, andlor line diagrams that illusing for articles telling readers how you conducted a rou- trate information in the article. 

tine field exercise. But if you think you have a "new-and- Include your full name, rank, current unit and job 

improved" way of conducting a tactical operation, title. Also include a list of your past assignments, expetraining exercise, or other operational procedure that rience and education; your mailing address; and commay prove helpful to other engineersthat's what we mercial daytime phone number. Send articles to: 

need. Editor, Engineer Professional Bulletin, AlTN: ATSEArticles should generally come from contributors with TD-D-EB, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri 65473-6650. 

first-hand experience with the subject being presented. If you have questions about an article you're workAvoid theatrical writing styles like: "It was a dark and ing on-r considering writing-all Cathy Eubanks or 

stormy nig M...," or "...the soldier blazed through the jungle Shirley Bridges, at DSN 676-4104, or commercial (314) 

on his lumbering 07, providing a trail of freedom for the 

other veh~cles ...." 

563-4104. We look forward to hearing from you. 

August I995 Engineer 53 
By Captain John K. Leighow 

Current Army doctrine is too limited in its 

coverage of mute-clearance operations. Since 

World War 11, a steady increase in casualties from 

mine warfare suggests that our doctrine lacks the 

necessary scope and that we need training to successfully conduct combined arms route-clearance operations. Casualties from landmines increased fmm 4.4 

percent in World War I1 to 33 percent in the Vietnam War. Twenty percent of the U.S. casualties during Desert Storm and 26 percent during Operation 

Restore Hope were caused by mines. While mine 

techno log^ has surged, countermine capability is 30 

to 50 years old. 

Mine warfare is an important part of the opposing 

force (OPFOR) tactics, and much of it is concentrated along friendly lines of communication (LOC). 

For battlefield success, Army units must clear their 

LOC of any obstacles and enemy activity that disrupts circulation of forces and material. 

Shortfalls in technology, doctrine, and training 

have all contributed to the limited success of routeclearance operations at the Joint Readiness Training 

Center (JRTC). Most units training here fail to recognize route clearance as a combined arms operation, and they routinely attempt to clear their LOC 

without conducting preliminary planning, task 

organizing, rehearsing, and battle-tracking procedures. 

The "Thunder Run" is the most common routeclearance technique observed at the JRTC. Units 

roam the roads at 15 or more miles per hour looking 

for mines-and detect them when a vehicle explodes. 

U.S. forces cannot accept this approach. As a fighting force, we must develop ways to retain our mobility This article identifies some of the problems in 

route-clearance operations and provides options to 

help ensure successful passage of the force. 

Predictive ~ ~~~~~ Intelligence v 

y incorporating intelligence preparation of the B- battlefield (IPB) and mission, enemy, terrain, 

t,roons. . . and time available (METT-T) nrocesses into . . route-clearance operations, units can predict what 

an enemy may do to disrupt their main supply 

routes (MSRs). The JRTC experience shows that 

units failing to conduct route-clearance procedures 

lose their flexibility and initiative during operations. 

Sun Tzu wrote, 'Know your enemy, know yourself, 

your victory will never be endangered. Know the 

ground, know the weather, your victory will then be 

total." The IPB and the engineer battlefield assessment (EBA) provide ideal methods for establishing a 
minefield or ambush situation template. ARer the 

S2 and engineer identify the most probable threat 

sites, the S2 should designate them as named areas 

of interest Ws) for focusing reconnaissance efforts. Engineers trained to conduct enemy obstacle 

reconnaissance may work with scouts and infantry 

to confirm the presence or absence of ambushes and 

mines-the primary threats to battlefield circulation. 

Ambushes. Small-arms fire is the number one 

killer on the JRTC battlefield. Several three- to fiveman teams with small arms can effectively neutralize a brigade convoy operation through well-placed 

ambushes. They typically occur in areas of limited 

trafficability that provide the enemy with effective 

fields of fire, cover, and concealment. 

Mines. These are the pwr man's weapon of choice 

and the eternal sentry Mines may be located almost 

anywhere and are devastatingly effective because soldiers do not understand their capabilities or observe 

their presence. Today's mines have blast-resistant 

fuses or use magnetic or seismic signatures to initiate the blast. This technology is far superior to the 

first-generation of pressure-fused mines still common in the U.S. inventory 

A favorite mine-warfare technique is to "reseed" a 

minefield along an MSR after a vehicle or a sweep 

team has cleared the road. The process, which takes 

about 30 minutes to complete, has a profound effect 

on the opposing force's mobility. As the force loses 

equipment and personnel to reseeded mines, the brigade and battalion task forces divert additional combat power to convoy escort. This may cause the brigade to lose the initiative. With these threats in 

mind, let's consider a more effective approach to 

route-clearance operations. 

Minefield indicators (Figure 1) offer a visible signature that can help units confirm or deny minefield 

locations. They also serve as a starting point for finding the enemy andlor his cache sites. At the JRTC, 

the OPFOR can cache mines from 50 to 500 meters 

from any given minefield. 

Planning - Considerations

lanning and conducting route clearance during the initial phase of combat operations ensures the survival of follow-on forces. According to 

FM 20-32, MineiCoc~ntennineOperntions, minefield 

clearance is conducted in a relatively safe environment and is "usually perfonned after the breaching 

operation by follow-on engineer forces or at any time 

in a friendly area of operations where an obstacle is 

a hazard or hinders movement." 

Route-clearance operations are similar to breaching operations; therefore, commanders and staffs 

should plan and coordinate breaching fundamentals 

to suppress, obscure, secure, and reduce the obstacles. Task organizing for route clearance is also similar to that required for breaching operations. The assault force becomes the security element, the breach 

force becomes the sweep element, and the support 

force remains the same. FM 90-13-1, Combined 

Minefield Indicators 

-Damaged vehicles 

- Dead anlrnals 

-Avoidance by the local population 

- Signs of dlgglng 

Signs of concrete removal 

- Disturbances In a road, such as holesor grooves 

- Boxes or parcels placed afong the roadlshoulder 

-Parked vehicles or bicycles without operators 

-Wire on the mad surface or extmdlng onto the shoulders 

- Evidence of vegetation disturbancealong shoulders 

-Evidence of mlne-pecullar supplles such as wrenches, 

shipplng plugs. wrapping paper or safety collars from fuses 

- Posted signs that covertly alert the local population to the 

presence of mines 

- Observation of disturbancesin tire tracks 

Flgure 1 

Arms Breaching Operations, provides guidance for 

planning breaching operations and insights that 

apply to route-clearance operations. 

The significant difference between breaching and 

clearing operations is that breaching usually occurs 

during an attack, under enemy fire, to "project combat power to the far side of an obstacle." Route clearance focuses on opening LOC "to ensure the safe passage of combat and support organizations" within an 

area of operation. Planning mute-clearance operations, 

like breaching operations, requires extensive coordination and the use of all available assets. 

Planning considerations for a combined arms 

route-clearance operation using the Battlefield Operating Systems include--

Intelligence 

Focus IPB to identify high-threat areas, such as 

chokepoints, bridges, culverts, tunnels, and intersections. Identify the key terrain and diredobservation and ambush sites. Identify probable 

mine locations as NAIs for reconnaissance focus. 

At the battalion level, maintain a mine-incident 

map and chart to facilitate pattern analysis. 

Compare mine incidents to the situation template and adjust accordingly. 

a Coordinate overtlight by unmanned aerial vehicles and attacWscout helicopter teams to provide daily intelligence updates. Film the route 

with aviation assets, if possible. 

Provide intelligence updates on mine-hazard 

areas to company and convoy team leaders. 

Establish liaison between the host nation, nongovernment organizations, and special operations forces for mine-awareness training and 

intelligence collection. 
Maneuver 

a Clear and secure the flanks (at least 100 

meters in forested areas) and the far sides of 

suspected and known obstacles before marking 

and clearing them. Identify and clear potential 

sniper positions before clearing obstacles. 

Provide ovenvatching fire for the sweep team. 

w Provide scout weapons teams for route overflights and security. 

w Provide security for the cleared route. 

Provide aviation assets that are OPCON to the 

route-clearance commander. 

Fire Support 

a At the battalion level, position mortars to 

ensure continuous coverage of the operation. 

a Prepare to cue the Q36 radar for counterbattery 

fire on enemy indired-fire systems. 

w Prepare to discharge nonlethal fires initially 

anci then suppress~kfires along the route on 

reuorted and sus~ectedobstacle locations and 

~n>~er positions. Prepare fires within the tactical rules of engagement. 

a Ensure that the route-clearance team has a firesupport coordinator. 

a Ensure that priority targets shift in conjunction 

with movement on the MSR. 

a Plan smoke on each target. 

w Ensure that areas of control and responsibility 

are well understood. 

a Establish a plan to clear fires. 

MobilitylSurvivability 

a Conduct EBA in conjunction with IPB of routes. 

w Provide clearing and sweep teams for the route 

according to FM 20-32, Chapter 10. 

a Provide detailed obstacle intelligence on minefields. Include mine descriptions, obstacle composition, and enemy actions or techniques used 

during obstacle emplacement. 

a Conduct a route reconnaissance to update map 

information. 

Conduct deliberate minesweeping operations 

after visually identifying an obstacle. Continue 

the mine sweep 200 meters beyond the known 

obstacle location. 

w Ensure that all mines and obstacles are reported, marked, and cleared to facilitate unimpeded movement. 

Standardize all lane-marking materials and 

techniques. 

Combat Service Support 

a Designate one person to plan support for the 

route-clearance mission. 

w Plan both air and ground casualty evacuation. 

a Provide military police, preferably with explosive-sniffing dogs, to help with route clearance 

and security for convoys during and after clearing operations. 

a Provide a medical team, with one or two ambulances, to accompany the route-clearance team. 

w Plan for resupply during movement. 

w Consider constructing static security points 

along the routes. 

Consider force-protection measures, such as 

wearing flak vests and hardening vehicles with 

sandbags. 

w Plan for recovery assets during movement 

a Designate a movement-control element for 

follow-on forces. 

Command and Control 

a Plan centralized (brigade-level) or decentralized 

(battalion task-force-level) route-clearance 

operations according to ME'IT-T. 

w Designate an individual to be in charge of the 

entire operation and ensure that sufficient resources (communications, fire support, maneuver, and casualty evacuation) are available to 

accomplish the mission. 

a Provide that individual with intelligence on his 

route and area of responsibility. Furnish the planning time, a proper task organization, and the 

extent of his area of operation or responsibility. 

a Designate a controlling, coordinating, and supporting headquarters for route movement. 

a Ensure that the tasked unit has a clear mission, intent, and end state. For example, will 

the unit clear only the road width; clear the 

entire route width including the shoulders; or 

clear, maintain, and secure the route? 

a Determine routes with definable start and end 

points. Fix clearance responsibility between hrigade- and battalion-level assets. 

a Establish clearly identifiable checkpoints along 

routes to control traffic and monitor route-clearance progress 

a Coordinate with adjacent units as neressary. If 

the operation is conducted at the brigade level, 

coordinate additional support forces with the 

unit that owns the surrounding terrain. 

a Track the progress and integrate it into the 

maneuvertcombat service support plan. 

a Ensure that ground commanders maintain communications with indirect-fire systems, scout 

weapons teams, higher headquarters, and adjacent units. 

w Coordinate with host nation and nongovernment organizations. 
Designate a reserve that is at least platoonsized and is either mechanized or air-assault 

capable. 

Route-ClearanceMethods 

nits currently use the route-clearance method 

described in doctrine manuals-linear route 

clearance. With this method, sweep and security 

teams begin their route clearance at Point "A" and 

complete it at Point " B(see Figure 2) At the JRTC, 

many route-clearance missions do not specify the location of start or end points, thus causing confusion 

between the planners and the executors. Linear 

route clearance is effective and popular, but it is not 

the most secure method to use in a nonpermissive 

environment. Two other route-clearance options are 

available: the wmbat clearance and the combat 

route-clearance methods. 

Combat Clearance Method (Figure 2). FM 20-

32, Chapter 13, describes combat clearance operations. While route-clearance operations focus on a 

specific route, wmbat clearance operations focus on 

an area or areas along a route. These are the suspected high-threat areas identified by the IPB and 

the EBA. The sweep force, composed of a mix of 

maneuver and engineer forces, secures and sweeps 

these NAIs. Combat. forces then patrol the route to 

ensure that it remains secure and sweep the surrounding areas for caches if mines are present. 

Route-Clearance Methods 

Linear Route Clearance Combat Clearance ,.." 

i'8 >.;$** 

Combat Route Clearance .;' ,"8 :,$ 

I I 

Figure 2 

August 1995 Engineer 57 
Hasty Minesweeping Techniques 

Level One Route Sweep 	 I 
 Level Two Route Sweep 

R1.k HighlMadaae 


5- el-ne ~nginsersquad s- dement: ~ngnaarsqua&p~emn 


~ecurltyrjupp~ dm=(: ~anauvg pla!aon I+) seudt,muppnstement: ~anevverplam I+)


Rate: 51 lviomsten per hour Rae: 35 kilome!ars per hour 

Pllmav deMUon: Wsual (Elsoronicmcs mmdteid 8s identifled) ~rimsy&&ion: ~lrusl(~lgtronloat highmreal areas) 

S-ndiry detelon: Mpnaned (1-2minslleldd&ng Second!detelbn: M=hanid 


~IIWS(MCRS) mlnimum) /\reas dcarm: ~oadvim 


Lresl clssed: Road wdVI only 	 CvhlMr 

1nt=section3 

Minefield indicators: Chokqolnfr Level two 

mines- areas Bodgar 

(high-threat areas) 

Leva1 one mlneaweep areas 


(high-threat areas) 


Level Two Organization 

Level One Organization NAI or high-threat scar 

2 

1 y 

- 2 

I.Lead vMlcis idenlllas minered mbcamrr w MCR encountsrs mnsfleid in road. 

2 Lead VBhides stabilshov-* d mmshe4dlo wpporl olsaiance. Rear vehlder 1. Lead vehicleidsnbflm NIU lacatwn, mmeZeidindtcafoir,at MCR mcaunfsir 

ermlish rear asunty. minelieid 

a ~nglnssrsmovs laward to dear minehsldda mma llaner 2. Lead amen1 lanutank recuon in dla5ram)ertablishm overnalch of NAI. 

4 command and control dmmt reports OBSTINTEL to hbhw headquarters Rsai element securer rear area oldparing lorce. ~orersprepsieto fire 

10 SUppOfi Clearan- wVl rmake aodflres. 

3 inlanW pplslwn clears llankr andlar slds olNU end assures area for 

nearan-. 

4. Engineas movs loward fa dear NAI or minendd and mah lane. 

5. 	 Commandandmntd element rwonr OBSTINTEL Io hghor 

hsadquwbn. 

Figure 3 

The combat clearance method is ideal for light the IPB/EBA process. The advantage of this method 

forces because it allows maximum surprise and con- is that the task force commander immediately secealment. This method focuses the task force on cures his MSRs and then finds the enemy, confident 

opening and securing a route for follow-on forces that his MSRs are relatively safe. 

and moving into the countryside to find the enemy. 

Combat Route-CLearance Method (Figure 2). 

This method combines the complete route-clearance Route-Sweep Techniques 

capabilities of the linear method with the security 

and surprise elements of the combat clearance Current doctrine prescribes two minesweeping 

method. It is a two-phased, force-intensive operation techniques: hasty and deliberate. These techand may require a battalion-sized element, depend- niques should comprisethe conceptual backbone of 

ing on the length of the route. First, identified high- any mine-clearing operation. The hasty method rethreat areas are targeted, secured, and cleared of lies on speed while the deliberate method relies on 

obstacles and enemy forces before a sweep team thoroughness. A hasty sweep over a 6-kilometer 

moves. The sweep team then travels down the road road takes from 1 to 2 hours (3 to 5 kilometers per 

and clears obstacles missed or not identified during hour); a deliberate sweep takes from 2 to 6 hours 

SR Engineer 	 August 1995 
Deliberate Minesweeping Techniques 

I Level Three Route Sweep 

Route 

I Level Four Route Sweep I 

RCX: La Rbk: LmmiMe 

S- dmat:E~glneaplalmn Smep danml: Englnetx plafvon 

SyumyEupF elrmcnl: Manwvei company SeurllySupport element: Maneuver oamparm 

Ram: 3-5 k,lom*wspm hDvr Rate: 3.5 kllammss per hour 

~~im~deteeuon: vtwa (Electanical hgh~hreafareas1 Prlmarf denion: El&f&flc 

secondary defsction: Mschmica11-2MCRs) Secondarf detection: Nsud

-. =kBred: ad wim Tntlary detection: Mmanlal(l.2MCRS) 

Shoulderr Arc.. cleared: R'md Widlh 

Ditch- Shouidais 

Culval Ditches 

tn,errecllons CUlVBtU 

Chakqdnts Inleraedons 

Bridges Chokmdnlr 

LeMl three opuonal: outs rgonnasrance Bndger mineswew ereaa (hlghihreat areas) minerweep areas opuonal: ~avfargonoarrance 

(high-threat a,-r) 

Level Three Organization Level Four Organization 

NAI or high-fireat mcar 

3 W 

1 

1, Lead vshide ldenutlesNAI loca%onor mmstldd indlcalors, 

2. Lead element establishes werwaW of NN. Rear element ~eurerrrer area 01 clearing 

tme Monars prqare to lire to auppon clearance with smoke and l~rs*. 

3. Inlm~plarmnoleara llmks and far med NAI andreures area tor olesrancs. 

4. En@neem mwe lorward to clear NAI or mindiddand marks lane. Enginers condua 

route rmnmuanceot entire mute. 

5. Cornand mdmotrol dement rqorD OBSTINTEL to higher headauanera. 

1. Lead element idenslier mlnefldd indcaror 

2 Lead element secure8 immediate area around mindeld. 

s Flanldng demmtr clw twm on road lor mmand dmooated 

mines a on-rout. mines. 

4 Engrneers mwa !ward lo clear minddd and mnduct a route 

r-naissanoe of main suply route. 

5. Command and mnvoi denent reporb OBSTINTEL la higher 

headquatlsrs 

Figure 4 

(1to 3 kilometers per hour). Speed has a direct correlation with thoroughness in minesweeping. 

Significant differences between these techniques 

are not described sufficient,ly in doctrine. Consequently, units experience problems in planning and 

executing route-clearance missions. Commanders 

and sweeping units should conduct route-sweep 

operations in four levels to reduce risks and ensure 

success. Levels one and t,wo are modifications of a 

hasty mine sweep (Figure 3); levels three and four 

are modifications of a deliberate mine sweep (Figure 4). These techniques are used when conducting 

a linear route clearance or a combat route clearance. 

Sweep efforts are categorized by seven criteria: 

METT-T. 

Risk to traffic during and aRer clearance operations 

Sweep rate. 

Task organization for the sweep 

m Security and support elements. 

m Priority of delection method. 

m Route areas checked, 

These criteria provide enough information to communicate the route status after a sweep team has 

conducted its mission. 

Level One (Figure 3). This is the fastest and 

most rislcv tvve of route sweeD. It is ideal for an ar- " "A 

moredlmechanized team. ~he'swee~relies primarily 

on visual detection, using thermal or infrared sights 

or the naked eye for mine identification. It is followed immediately by a secondary, mechanical detection system such as mine-clearing rollers (MCRs). 

Augi~rt199.5 Engineer 59 
A, Of: 

Minefield Tracking 

Obstacle No. Grld Mlne Tlma Marklng Dbremlnatlon Remarks 

(From - To) Types Cleared Method Method 

As ot: 

Route Status 

Route Grld 

(From- To) 

Clearance 

Level 

Tlme 

Cleared 

Clearing 

Unit 

Secured 

BY 

Remarks 

Figure 5 

The rollers are only effective on fairly flat surfaces 

and, when used against magnetic or seismic mines, 

the MCR's dogbone must be modified to avoid straddling mines. The sweep team is a squad-sized or 

larger element that is task organized with mine detectors, demolitions, and a vehicle-mounted mechanical detection device (see FM 20-32, Chapter 10). 

The sweep team looks for minefields on the road 

width of a route. Security and support teams consist 

of a maneuver platoon to provide overwatching fire 

(see Figure 3). 

The primary objective of a level one sweep is 

speed, with the sweep team moving at 5 to 8 miles 

per hour. It is similar to the in-stride breach method 

when encountering minefields. The sweep team identifies immediate risks to traffic, neutralizes those 

risks, and continues on with the mission. If mine 

rollers are not available, a sandbagged 2 112-ton 

truck driven backwards can be used for a level one 

sweep (see FM 5-34, Engineer Fleld Data), but only 

as a last resort. In this situation, the mine rollen 

are only a means of detection, not breaching. Mine 

rakes or plows are not satisfactory suhstitutes because they destroy road surfaces. 

Leuel ltuo (Figure 3). A level two sweep uses 

electronic measures as the primary detection 

method in high threat areas. These areas include intenections! chokepoints, and areas within 10 meters 

of woodlines. A level two sweep employs more caution and forces the unit to update the IPB before beginning the mission. This level of operation employs 

a wmpany team for security and command and wntrol (see Figure 3). Dismounted forces clear and secure 

the flanks and the far side of an identified minefield, 

while an engineer squad clears the road area. 

Level Three (Figure 4). A level three sweep is 

more in-depth and more time consuming. The sweep 

team may be either mounted or dismounted, but it 

must examine the entire width of the route, including the shoulders and ditches. This technique ensures that follow-on forces are protected if they are 

forced to the side of the road. The security and support element also moves mounted or dismounted to 

provide rapid response and security (see Figure 4). 

The sweep team provides a route reconnaissance report that updates current maps and that further identifies high-threat areas. Staffs gain valuable information from this report for future operations. 

60 Enpineer ' Ai~gut1995 
"...well-trainedunits will always 

remain the foundation of U.S. Army 

route-clearanceoperations." 

Level Four (Figure 4). A level four sweep is very 

time-consuming. It relies on visual and electronic 

means for clearance. The platoon-sized sweep team 

is dismounted to focus attention on the entire length 

of the route. The company-sized security element 

clears and secures the flanks and in front of the 

sweep team (at least 100 meters in each direction in 

forested areas) (see Figure 4). This clears the area of 

off-route and mmmand-detonated mines and allows 

the team to focus solely on the route. MCRs are 

used to proof the route after the sweep team passes 

through the area. Level four sweeps include route 

and area reconnaissance. This sweep is used when 

thoroughness and security, not speed, are critical to 

the mission. 

Battle Tracking

' 1nformation and its dissemination are key to battlefield management. Failure to report and bat-

[ tle track minefields and route-clearance operations 

I throughout the area of operations are common shortfalls at the JRTC. A successful technique used by 

one unit to track enemy minefields at the JRTC was 

to prominently post a minefield chart and overlay in 

the TOC that depicted both enemy and friendly 

mines and obstacles. Unit personnel posted known 

and suspected enemy minefield locations, types of 

mines, marking method, time cleared, and remarks. 

As information was reported, the S2 changed the 

chart to reflect the time of the update, the receiver 

of the information, and the obstacle numbers (see 

I Figure 5). A similar, but separate, method should be 

! used to track route-clearance status (see Figure 5). 

Battle-tracked information should be maintained in 

both the TOC and the combat trains command post 

1 and then distributed to subordinate units, especially 

I mmbat service support units.The engineer should 

analyze the information and provide the S2 and S3 1 withTime the enemy requires to emplace mines 

I Specific enemy mine capabilities 

Estimates of the time and assets required to 

clear enemy mines on the route. 

The S2 should determinem When the enemy may reseed minefields. 

Possible locations of enemy mine caches. 

The 53 disseminates this information to all units 

throughout the AO. The S3 should also determine--

Air defense artillery requirements to cover enemy aerial resupply points. 

Surveillance requirements for targeting enemy 

minefields. 

Potential sites for ambushes around suspected 

enemy minefields. 

Ground force requirements to clear the area 

of enemy mines or to locate enemy mine 

caches. 

m Movement-control requirements on routes and 

notification procedures when the area is 

cleared. 

Experience at the JRTC shows that units consistently lose the initiative because they haven't conducted sufficient combined arms route-clearance 

training at their home station. When units conduct a route clearance, they go straight down the 

road, even when a sweep team is on-hand. The 

U.S. Army's ability to conduct countermine warfare and to open routes is handicapped by the lack 

of detailed doctrine and technology Until countermine technology catches up, proficiency in execution must make up the difference. Even with improved technology, well-trained units will always 

remain the foundation of U.S. Army route-clearance 

operations. lid 

Captain John K. Leighow serued as an Assistant G3 Operations Office,. in the 6th Infantry Division (LT) and as a 

Company Commander with the 6th Engineer Battalion in 

Alaska. He served as an Obseruer/Controller at the Joint 

Readiness Training Center at Fold Polk, LA. and is currently working as the engineer in the JRTC Plensi 

Ezercise ~ManeuuerControl Center. 
Engineer School Directory 

Many ieiephone numbers for the U.S.Army Engineer School changed inJune 1995. Thefollowing numbers allow callers lo reach key 

offices. Commercial numben are (314) 563-m and Defense System Nelnnork (DSN) numbers are 676-xxrx unless ofhewe noted. 

Commandant 

MG Clair F. Gill 

563-61 16 

Engineer Center Command Sergeant 

Major 

CSM Rov L. Burns. Jr. 

563-61 49 

Assistant Commandant 

BG Phillip R. Anderson 

563-61 59 

Chief of Staff 

COLAnders B. Aadland 

563-61 18 

Deputy Assistant Commandant 

COL Hans A. Van Winkle 

563-4093 

Deputy Assistant, Army Reserve 

COLThomas Kaliher 

563-4033 

Deputy Assistant, Army National Guard 

LTC Virgil L. liams 

563-4034 

Technical Director, 


Deputy Assistant Commandant 


Lou Holtz 

563-4093 

Liaison Officers 

Australian Army. LTC Phil White 

563-61 32 

British Army. COLTimothy Bradwell 

563-401 8 

Canadian Army, MAJ Douglas Wright 

563-401 7 

French Army, COL Jean Lafargue 

563-4027 

GermanArmy, LTC Reinhold Hocke 

563-4029 

Directorate of Training and Doctrine 

(DOTD) 

Director 

COLThomas J. Hodgini 

563-41 11 

Sergeant Major 

MSG David Delgado 

563-41 11 

Engineer Hotline 

563-4098 

Engineer Professional Bulletin 

Catherine Eubanks 

563-41 04 

Directorate of Combat Developments 

(DCD)

Director 


COL Robert J. Greenwalt, Jr. 


563-4076 


Sergeant Major 


SGM Reginald Hall 


563-4076 


Directorate of Tactics, Leadership, 

and Engineering (DTLE) 

Director 

LTC(P) Robert L. Davis 

563-41 19 

Sergeant Major 

SGM Allen Chatter 

563-41 19 

Engineer Personnel Proponency 

Office (EPPO) 

Chief 

Victoria Anthony 

563-4087 

Warrant Officer Branch 

CW5 Frederick Carson 

563-4087 

Engineer Branch Safety Office 

James G. Runge 

563-4025 

Garrison Commander 

COL David A. Fagan 

563-4005 

1st Engineer Brigade 

COL Frank D. Ellis 

596-0224, DSN 581 -0224 

CSM Edward Lugo 

596-0395, DSN 581-0395 

62 Engineer Arcgust 1995 
i I ENGINEER UPDATE

1 I 

Directorate of Training and 

Doctrine (DOTD) 

Directorate of Combat 

Developments (DCD) 

Commercial numberr are (314 563 uu and Defense Syrlem Network (DSN) numben are 6)76.z& unless othewlse noted. 

New Director Welcomed. DOTD welcomed Colonel Thomas J. 

Hodgini, their new director, in June. He previously Served as the Advanced Concepts Officer, Directorate of Combat Developments, U.S. 

Army Engineer School. COL Hodgini may be reached at -411 1. 

Field Manual (FM) 5-100-15 Distributed. FM 5-100-15. 

Corps Engineer Operations, was distributed in June. It addresses 

the role, organization, and command and control of corps engineers and the conduct of corps-level engineer operations. POC is 

Joe Sillyman, -4099. 

Soldier Training Publications (STPs) Published. STPs 5- 

51T12-SM-TG and 5-51T34-SM-TG will have a print date of 17 

August 1995. These STPs provide alignment for the consolidation 

of military occupational specialties (MOSS) 51G, 818, and 826. 

They include automated tasks for drafting and surveying. POC is 

SFC Tony Arnold, -4115. 

Engineer Lessons Learned. The latest Engineer School reorganization has placed the Lessons Learned Branch under DOTD. 

Mr. William Blackv/ell is charged with continuing and improving the 

lessons learned function We look folward to assisting you. Mail 

requests to: Commander, U.S. Army Engineer School, ATTN: 

ATSE-TD-D-LL, Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473-6600. The E-Mail 

address is: BLACKWRnl@WOOD-VINES.ARMY.MIL. POC is Bill 

Blackwell, -4099. 

Armored Vehicle Launched MlCLlC (AVLM). An AVLM 

mounting device has been approved for use by field personnel. 

Procedures for its fabrication, installation, and use are contained in 

Change 1 to TM 9-1375-215-14&P, dated December 1992. All 

parts are common hardware items and manufactured components. 

Safety-of-Use message 94-05, which bans the use of all unauthorized MlCLlC launchers, remains in effect. Change 1 was formally 

distributed on 30 June 1995. To obtain copies, call Michael 

Dawson at (309) 782-1 521, DSN 793-1 521. POC is SFC Andra 

Brown, -4074. 

Ideas Requested. To pull ourselves into the 2lst century, a 

process action team (PAT) is creating a vision of how Army engineers will operate in the far term (2020 and beyond). The team is 

collecting ideas applicable to developing that concept. To participate, send ideas to: Directorate of Combat Developments, ATTN: 

ATSE-CD-XXI, Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473. The E-Mail 

address is FOWLERM@WOOD-VINES.ARMY.MiL, POC is Mike 

Fowler, -4082. 

Digital Map Production Shortcut. The Terrain Visualization 

Center WC) seeks new methods of transforming topographic information from paper maps to digital geographic information system 

(GIs) products. TVC personnel recently discovered a method of 

digital map production that significantly reduces the plot time of the 

Hewlen Packard 650C printer. Using this method reduced the plot 

August 1995 
time for a 3-foot by 6-foot plot from about 30 minutes to less than 

10 minutes. To use this method: 

- Change the front panel to "long menu". 

- Select SCSl "special" (follow the front panel manual). 

- Select the "draft" mode on the panel, which allows the plotter 

to print bidirectionally. 

That's it! Now you can plot quickly or in the enhanced mode, 

which takes longer but produces a higher quality product. POC is 

Marsha Mocaby, -4077. 

Sharing Safety Success Stories. While EBSO personnel continue to request information on safety-related deficiencies in fielded 

equipment or training, we also want to hear about success stories. 

Successes may be approved modifications to equipment or tactics 

or training that results in reduced risks to soldiers. To share your 

unit's successes, call Mark Totzke at -4074 or Paul Rusinko, -4025. 

Deputy Assistant Commandant-Army Reserve. Colonel 

Thomas L. Kaliher is the new Deputy Assistant Commandant-Army 

Reserve. He came to Fort Leonard Wood from the 412th Engineer 

Command, Forward, in Germany, where he served as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, Forward. COL Kaliher may be reached at -4034. 

RC Combined Arms and Service Staff School (RC-CAS3). 

Reserve officers can complete RC-CAS3 at USARF schools. The 

course has three phases. Phase I, taken after the Engineer Officer 

Advanced Course, is a 141-hour correspondence course. Phase 

IiA, taken after completing Phase I, consists of eight weekend 

classes. Phase 118 is two weeks of resident training, Individual 

Ready Reserve (IRR) officers should submit a DA Form 1058 to 

their personnel management officer. Troop unit members enroll 

through their training officer via the Army Training Requirements 

and Resource System (ATRRS). 

Bridge Demolitions. As of 1 October 1995, the Sheffield 

method of bridge demolition will no longer be taught in depth at the 

Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course (ANCOC). While students will receive a brief review, they must arrive at ANCOC with 

the ability to check the calculations and bridge categorizations of 

subordinate leaders. Less than 3 percent of arriving ANCOC students understand the Sheffield demolition method. This presents a 

knowledge gap between sergeants leaving the Basic NCO Course 

(BNCOC) and their platoon sergeants. Senior NCOs must be 

trained on the Shemeld demolition method so they can effectively 

train and supervise subordinates. Unit commanders must utilize 

NCOs who have received this training in BNCOC and ANCOC to 

train their units. Bridge categorization and demolition are outlined in 

FM 5-250, Chapter 4, Appendices A and H. An article in the next 

issue of Engineer will discuss bridge demolition procedures and 

training support packets. POCs are SFC Glover or SFC Joos, (314) 

596-01 31, Ext 3-757617782. 

Encineer Rrar;ch Saietv 

Office (ERSO) 

Reserve Compoi1~nts(RC) 

Libby NCO Academy 
By Command Sergeant Major Roy L. Burns, Jr. 

U.S. Army Engineer School 

"Change is the law of life and those that only look to rn We are also consolidating MOSS 128 (Combat 

the past or present are certain to miss the future." Engineer) and 12F (Engineer Tracked Vehicle 

John F, Kennedy Crewman) to provide more versatile and skilled 

128 soldiers for the Army. Consolidation of these 

Certainly this a challengingtime for noncommissioned officers (NCOs). Over the past three 

years we have seen dramatic changes in the world, 

our Army, and the Corps of Engineers. The NCO, as 

the backbone of the Army, must adapt to these 

changes and provide focus and leadershipfor our junior soldiers. Traditional NCO duties and responsibilities will not change. We will still lead, train, counsel. 

and evaluate. But now NCOs must place themselves 

in the forefront of change, not just be sentinels of tradition. Senior NCOs must eagerly seek to learn the 

new skills demanded by technically advanced systems and then begin training their teams to established standards. 

Significant changes in our Army and at your Engineer 

Center are propelling our branch into the 21st century. 

As we say farewell to MG Ballard and welcome MG Gill 

as the Engineer School Commandant, I will take this 

opportunity to highlight some of these changes. 

lnterservice Training and Review Organization 

(ITRO) initiatives are a real success story. Under 

the ITRO program, the Army, Navy, Marines, and 

Air Force share training assets, which significantly 

reduces redundancy between the services. The 

bottom line is that ITRO saves money and improves training efficiency. Fort Leonard Wood is 

the primary lTRO site for heavy engineer equipment training and motor transport operator training. We also train Navy, Air Force and Army electricians. While marines, airmen and sailors are training 

at Fort Leonard Wood, our engineer soldiers will 

train to be plumbers at Sheppard Air Force Base. 

Our firemen will train at Goodfellow Air Force Base, 

and carpenters will train at the Naval Technical 

Engineering Center at Gulfport, Mississippi. 

m AS we consolidate training assets, we are also consolidating skills. One such initiative is the multirole 

bridge company. We are evaluating the consolidation of fixed and float bridging assets into one 

company to create a more flexible and responsive 

combat support unit. After the consolidation is completed, bridge specialists (12C) will maintain their 

skills on many types of bridging by increasing their 

training frequency. 

two specialties lays the foundation for the transition to Force XXI. It provides advantages to soidiers: increased assignment and promotion opportunities and opportunities to broaden MOS-related 

skills. Benefits to units include enhanced assignment flexibility, a simplified replacement process, 

and greater diversity among senior NCOs. The 

Army benefits from reduced management costs. 

This is a wintwin situation! 

Information management is now only a keystroke 

away. Technology, efficiency and the shrinking 

budget are driving the need to change. The Engineer School is now on-line. Some information 

from school directorates is available over Internet 

and more will be added. A challenge for engineer 

NCOs is to become competent in operating complex communications equipment both in the office 

and on the battlefield. 

rn New engineer equipment will greatly enhance our 

ability to fight as members of the combined arms 

team. Prototypes of the Grizzly have been handed 

to the Army for testing, and Wolverine prototypes 

are due shortly. This equipment promises to become 

the cornerstone of engineer support to the maneuver 

force as we shift to an MIIMP-basedcombined arms 

team. Modernization enhancements are being 

fielded in the areas of countermobility, suwability, 

sustainability, and topographic engineering to both 

light and heavy engineer forces. 

rn Finally, as a result of the recent Base Realignment 

and Closure (BRAC) recommendations, the Chemical and Military Police Schools are slated to move 

to Fort Leonard Wood. This initiative will considerably improve the future of engineer, chemical, and 

MP support to the Army. With those moves, the 

Engineer Center will become the Army's "Maneuver Support Center." 

We look forward to working with MG Gill in meeting 

these challenges. Engineer NCOs will play the critical 

role in executing these changes and in adapting to a 

smaller, leaner, and more technically advanced Army. 

As our engineer motto states, ESSAYONS4et us 

try. We must resolve to change for the better and to 

meet the future fully prepared. 

August 1995 Engineer 65 
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 

ENGWZf4PFiOFEGSlONAL 8UW 

UB.ARw~SCHO# 

KWN: AW-TD-D-EB