Combat engineer A combat engineer , also called pioneer or sapper in many armies , is a soldier who performs a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions . Such tasks typically include constructing and breaching trenches , tank traps and other fortification s , bunker construction , bridge and road construction or destruction , laying or clearing land mine s , and other physical work in the battlefield . More generally , the combat engineer ' s goals involve facilitating movement and support of friendly forces while impeding that of the enemy . Usually , a combat engineer is also trained as an infantryman , and combat engineering units often have a secondary role fighting as infantry . Beyond self - defense , combat engineers , infantry and assault troopers from armored corps units are generally the only troops that engage in the assault while dismounted . This role is limited by a lack of fire support ( such as that obtained by infantry units from their mortars and recoilless rifle s ) . However combat engineers typically do have extensive antiarmor capability in their infantry fighting role , such as with antitank missile s . There are no advanced academic qualifications required to be a combat engineer . The term " engineer " is not to be confused with the term applied to Professional Engineer or Chartered Engineer . Terminology . A general combat engineer is often called a " pioneer " or " sapper " , terms derived respectively from the French and British armies . In some armies , " pioneer " and " sapper " indicate specific military rank s and levels of combat engineers , who work under fire in all seasons , may be allocated to different corps , as they were in the former Soviet Army , or they may be organized in the same corps . Geomatics ( surveying and cartography ) is another area of military engineering but is often performed by the combat engineers of some nations and in other cases is a separate responsibility , as was formerly the case in the Australian Army . While the officers of a combat engineering unit may be professionally - certified civil or mechanical engineers , the non - commissioned members are generally not . Practices and techniques . Combat engineers use practices and techniques of camouflage , reconnaissance , communication methods and enhancement of survival by other troops . Combat engineering also includes construction of roads , bridges , field fortification s , obstacles and the construction and running of water points . In these roles , combat engineers use a wide variety of hand and power tools . They are also responsible for construction rigging , the use of explosive s , and carrying out demolitions , camouflage erection , field fortification construction , obstacle clearance , and obstacle construction , assault of fortifications , bridge erection , use of assault boat s in water obstacle crossing s , expedient road and helipad construction , general construction , route reconnaissance and road reconnaissance , and erecting communication installation s . Combat engineers build and run water distribution points , carrying out water filtration , and NBC decontamination when necessary , and storage prior to distribution . All these role activities and technologies are divided into several areas of combat engineering : Improving the ability of one ' s own force to move around the battlefield . Combat engineers typically support this role through reduction of enemy obstacles which include point and row minefields , anti - tank ditches , wire obstacles , concrete and metal anti - vehicle barriers , and Improvised Explosive Devices ( IED ) and wall and door breaching in urban terrain . Mechanized combat engineer units also have armored vehicles capable of laying short bridges for limited gap - crossing . Building obstacles to prevent the enemy from moving around the battlefield . Destroying bridges , blocking roads , creating airstrips , digging trenches , etc . Can also include planting land mine s and anti - handling device s when authorized and directed to do so . When the defender must retreat it is often desirable to destroy anything that may be of use to the enemy , particularly bridges , as their destruction can slow the advance of the attackers . The retreating forces may also leave booby trap s for enemy soldiers , even though these often wreak their havoc upon non - combatant civilians . The placement of land mine s to create minefield s and their maintenance and removal . Building structures which enable one ' s own soldiers to survive on the battlefield . Examples include trenches , bunkers , shelters , and armored vehicle fighting positions . Defensive fortification s are designed to prevent intrusion into the inner works by infantry . For minor defensive locations these may only consist of simple walls and ditches . The design principle is to slow down the advance of attackers to where they can be destroyed by defenders from sheltered positions . Most large fortifications are not a single structure but rather a concentric series of fortifications of increasing strength . Equipment and vehicles . Combat engineers employ a wide range of transportation vehicles and equipment , and uses weapons unique to the engineers , including those used in land mine warfare . Basic combat engineering tools include safe use of : driving tools and chopping tools ( hammers , mauls , sledges , screwdriver , and bits ) ; cutting tools and smoothing tools ( saws , chisels , planes , files and rasps , brush - cutting tools , miscellaneous cutting tools ) ; drilling tools , boring tools , and countersinking tools ; measuring tools , leveling tools and layout tools ( rules , tapes , marking tools , levels , plumb bobs , squares ) ; gripping tools , prying tools and twisting tools ( pliers , wrenches , bars ) ; holding tools , raising tools and grinding tools ( vises , clamps , jacks , grinders , and oilstones ) ; timber handling tools and climbing tools ; digging tools ( shovels , posthole diggers , picks , and mattocks ) ; portable power tools and trailer - mounted tools ( electric tool trailer and generator , portable power tools ) ; miscellaneous tools . For obstacle breaching , including minefields , the combat engineers use a variety of vehicles , explosive devices and plastic explosive s including : Combat Engineering Corps . Combat engineers are a key role in all armed forces of the world , and invariably found either closely integrated into the force structure , or even into the combat units of the national troops . In many countries , combat engineers are members of broader military engineering corps or branches . Examples of this include the Royal Australian Engineers , The Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers ( new designation for the Canadian Military Engineers as of July 2013 ) , the Irish Army Engineer Corps , the Corps of Engineers , Indian Army , the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers , the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers , the Corps of Royal Engineers , and the United States Army Corps of Engineers . However , some nations have distinct combat engineering corps or branches which are separate from other types of military engineers . The Danish military engineering corps is almost entirely organized into one regiment of combat engineers , simply named Ingeniørregimentet ( " The Engineering Regiment " ) . Israel . In the Israeli Defence Forces the combat engineers are organized under the Combat Engineering Corps ( ) . In addition to Combat Engineering Corps ( ICEC ) sappers , each infantry brigade has an engineer company trained with basic engineering and EOD skills . ICEC sappers are often attached to other units ( such as armored divisions or infantry ) in order to help them breach obstacles and handle explosive threats . The ICEC operates advance engineering tools such as the IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer , IDF Puma armored CEV , armoured vehicle - launched bridge s , armored engineering vehicle s , EOD robot s and electromagnetic mine - detectors . Their main role is enabling Israeli forces to advance ( breach the enemy ' s obstacles ) , stop the enemy ' s movement , handle explosives and perform construction and destruction missions under fire . The Israeli engineering corps is also responsible for counter - NBC warfare ( i . e . defending troops against unconventional weapon and clean infected areas ) . The ICEC has a special unit , called Yahalom ( in Hebrew it means " Diamond " but also abbreviation of " Engineering Unit for Special Operations " ) which handles EOD , commando , demolition and sabotage , engineering recon , advance robotics , tunnel warfare , maritime breaching , counter - NBC , and other classified tasks . The Israeli Combat Engineering Corps ( ICEC ) was founded in 1947 and since then taken important part in all the wars of Israel . During the Yom Kippur War the ICEC breached the Suez canal , enabling IDF armor to invade Africa , destroy Egyptian SAM batteries and circle the Egyptian 3rd Army . In the northern front , ICEC IDF Caterpillar D9 bulldozer was the first motorized vehicle to reach the highest summit of Mount Hermon , preventing it from falling to Syrian hands . ICEC chief engineer , Brigadier General David Leskov , developed many combat engineering systems , and received three Israel Security Prize s , he served until his death at the age of 86 . The ICEC took important part in many counter - terrorism operations . The IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers were key factor in keeping IDF casualties low during the Second Intifada , as they were impervious to Palestinian weapons and detonated safely thousands of IED s and booby trap s , some were big enough to destroy a main battle tank . The Israeli combat engineer Corps motto is " Rishonim Tamid " , meaning " Always first " .