More than one suspect or assailant dramatically increases the danger to a soldier or law enforcement officer. Despite Hollywood movies showing cops (or martial arts experts) fending off two, three, or more attackers, the advantage a group has over an individual is high and the odds are not in favor of the individual, no matter how skilled a fighter he may be. This is true even though the officer or soldier may possess the only firearm on the scene. In addition to the sheer physical advantage multiple assailants possess over the individual, multiple assailants are also a danger because of a tunnel vision dynamic that comes into play. In other words, a soldier may be so distracted by an “obvious” bad guy (either an actual or feigned threat), that he will exclude or not focus on other possible threats within the group until it is too late.
Again, soldiers are often faced with this dilemma at TCPs and ECPs. That is why it is critical that there be sufficient personnel present, hopefully in an overwatch position with a clear field of fire, to attenuate this problem. But when out on patrol or conducting peace-enforcing missions, soldiers may not have that luxury. They need to be trained on threat identification and recognize that a hostile crowd—even if apparently unarmed—can still present a very serious threat. If the mission allows, it may be prudent for the patrol to quickly exfiltrate an area to avoid a potentially ugly and uneven situation. But the soldiers have to first be trained on recognizing the problem before seeking solutions.
Previously used tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of the enemy can be a huge building block in the development of assessing hostile intent. If the enemy has been known to use an injured civilian as a ruse to stop a convoy or divert the attention of a patrol, should that situation arise again, the patrol would be wise to go into “condition yellow” quickly; in other words be switched on and wary of attack.
Lastly, so long as it is efficiently and accurately pumped down to the lowest tactical levels, theater-specific intelligence can also be used as a building block to divine intent. The law does not require the soldier to be positive, only reasonable. Accordingly, tactical leaders have an ethical and moral responsibility to train those in their charge on both threat identification and proficient weapons handling. Those properly trained will be more likely to engage the enemy and less likely to kill noncombatants or friendly forces.
Appendix B
Armored Vehicle Recognition
In the recent past, armored vehicle identification was usually just a matter of distinguishing between vehicles manufactured by Warsaw Pact nations and those manufactured by NATO nations. However, even in those days it was sometimes difficult to tell the difference between vehicles on a simple friend-or-foe basis. In 2003 and 2004, several former Warsaw Pact nations joined NATO, bringing former Warsaw Pact equipment with them. In addition, changes in international relations have made it more likely that we will meet a third world nation’s troops, as experienced in our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most third world nations do not manufacture their own combat vehicles, but instead buy them from other countries. As a result, many of them have vehicles from nearly every manufacturing nation in the world.
As a result, one of the best ways to identify armored vehicles is to compare the observed vehicle characteristics with four known vehicle attributes or characteristics. Most, but not all armored vehicles have all four characteristic areas:
1.Track and suspension system. Many tanks can be recognized by their track and suspension systems unless grass, dirt, terrain, dust, or other factors are obscuring the tracks. To identify the track and suspension system, check to see whether it has support or return rollers.
•Most former Warsaw Pact vehicles have a flat (Christie) suspension system, without support or return rollers, without torsion bars, and unevenly spaced road wheels.
•Most NATO vehicles have a suspended track, support or return rollers, torsion bars, shock absorbers, and evenly spaced road wheels.
2.Turret. Most turrets can be grouped into three categories:
•Big, bulky turrets—older models.
•Well-sloped turrets—newer models.
•Streamlined turrets—newer models.
3.Main gun. Armament varies from machine guns to large cannons. In turreted vehicles, normally the heaviest armament is in the turret. Look for the main gun, the main gun bore evacuator, and its relative location on the main gun.
Types of main guns include:
•Smooth main gun, without bore evacuator or blast deflector.
•Main gun with bore evacuator.
•Main gun with bore evacuator and muzzle brake or blast deflector.
Types of muzzles include:
•Single-baffle.
•Double-baffle.
•Multibaffled.
4.Cupolas. The cupola is a small, turretlike projection normally on top of the turret. It is used by the vehicle commander and usually mounts a machine gun.
Studying these various characteristics will assist you in remembering unique attributes about various armored vehicles and ultimately allow you to identify most vehicles by nomenclature. The following pages contain common NATO and former Warsaw Pact armored vehicles.
NATO ARMORED VEHICLES
Chieftain—British
Large, shallow turret with long, sloping front
Long gun tube with bore evacuator in center
High, flat engine decks
6 road wheels with skirting plates covering support rollers
Centurion—British
Large square turret
Bore evacuator ⅔ down from muzzle
6 road wheels with skirting plates covering support rollers
Challenger—British
Center-mounted turret and fighting compartment
6 road wheels (space between third and fourth); 4 return rollers
5 smoke dischargers, each side of main gun
Steel skirting covering upper track
MCV 80—British
High rear deck
Small, shallow turret
Flat engine decks
6 road wheels
AMX30—French
Large, squat turret
Long gun tube, no bore evacuator
Flat engine decks
5 road wheels with support rollers
AMX10—French
Large cupola set to the left
Long, thin gun (20mm)
Flat hull with long, sloping front plate
5 road wheels with support rollers
Leopard—German
Large, rounded flat turret
Bore evacuator ⅔ from muzzle
Long, sloping-sided hull with horizontal exhaust louvres at rear
7 road wheels with support rollers
Leopard II—German
Large, square turret
7 evenly spaced road wheels
Bore evacuator ⅔ from muzzle
Grenade launchers on rear side of turret
Jagged track skirting
Marder—German
Small turret placed centrally on hull
Gun mounted on turret
Long hull with inward-sloping sides, domed cupola at rear