When’s the last time you emplaced a claymore mine? When’s the last time you’ve even seen one?

I’m sure I’ll get a few of the ‘you’re an idiot’ comments, but in several trips to Afghanistan and Iraq — as well as multiple trips to the field for training with a variety of Marine and Army units — I have never once seen or heard of claymores being used or trained for employment. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, it’s just that I’ve had a pretty good pass over a lot of the modern military and never once did I run into any (figuratively, of course)…

And that’s a shame, because what a great piece of gear…

Well, more from the Wanat history — seems the institutional Army needs to take a closer look at claymore training and employment.

American soldiers require additional and enhanced training in tactical employment of claymore mines. Claymore mines were integral to controlling and denying the dead ground around OP Topside, and were not optimally employed to accomplish this task. Claymore mines were not employed at COP Kahler, although they could have proven to be extremely efficient at controlling the dead ground in the ravine to the west and north of the COPs perimeter…

However, the limited numbers and failure to have overlapping Claymore fields of fire is evidence that Claymores were not employed to their maximum effectiveness at OP Topside.

Claymore mines should always be employed in depth, with the rear Claymores employed and recovered after darkness, all firing wires buried, and all Claymores should have their rear highlighted with visible markings (chemical lights, reflective tape, IR glitter tape, white paint, etc.) so that any enemy disturbing or tampering with Claymores can be readily detected, and deterred by the employment of covering Claymores or other suppressive fire. The effective use of Claymore mines needs to be emphasized, and additional numbers of Claymore mines should be deployed for the defense of static positions. Doctrine and TTPs for Claymore mine employment need to be enhanced and strengthened. This recommendation should be addressed by the U.S. Army Center for Lessons Learned and by TRADOC service schools, particularly the Infantry School.

Now, I did take a look at a copy of the Small Unit Operations in Afghanistan handbook recently compiled by the Center for Army Lessons Learned in Leavenworth. It mentions the use of “mines” and claymores in the defense of COPs, JCCs and OPs but doesn’t go into very much detail at all.

Like the water purification callout, maybe it’s time for more training and better technology with the claymore…

– Christian

Well folks, I’ve been down all day at tactical gear manufacturer Blackhawk! down in Norfolk participating in a writer’s workshop to get smart on their gear and the techniques to use it.

I’m ripping through the material I got throughout the day: tactical nylon products like web gear and pouches, holsters, knives and knife fighting, tactical lights and their employment in low-light situations. So real quick, I’ll post a clip from tactical pistol guru Todd Jarrett who’s got probably some of the best technique in the business. It’s a real honor to have even an hour of instruction with Jarrett, and it’s the first time I’ve ever done transition work from M4 to Glock and back.

I may not be that great at it, but at least I know I’ve learned the fundamentals from one of the best.

– Christian

At my old job, we used to always joke that it wasn’t news unless the Washington Post, New York Times or AP reported it — even if we’d done the story a month earlier.

Well, here’s another case of the “it ain’t news” phenomenon. We’ve been covering the heck out of this issue for more than a year, but when the chief says something about it and the AP hears it, well, then, Stop the Presses!

From today’s Military​.com headlines:

The military is reviewing Soldiers’ complaints that their standard ammunition isn’t powerful enough for the type of fighting required in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army’s highest-ranking officer said Thursday. But Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff, said it was too soon to say whether the Pentagon will switch.

Current and former Soldiers interviewed by The Associated Press said the military’s M855 rifle rounds are not powerful enough for close-in fighting in cities and towns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking with reporters at a conference in Huntsville, Casey said leaders are constantly soliciting feedback from Soldiers in the field and were aware of complaints about the M855 ammunition.

“To effectively prepare them we have to adapt as the enemy adapts, and that is some of the feedback we have gotten,” Casey said. “We’ll evaluate it quickly and then we’ll decide how we want to proceed.”

But Casey said it would be premature to say if the Pentagon will consider a different type of ammunition.

“I can’t tell you exactly what we’re going to do,” he said.

How much do you want to bet the answer to that question is “nothing”…? Kinda like the M-4 debate, huh?

– Christian

Here’s a cool heads up that the Army has fired its first Excalibur artillery round in Afghanistan.

It was just a test, but it’s an important one since artillery actually plays a pretty big role in fire support during combat ops in Afghanistan. And with the recent rash of friendly fire incidents resulting from off-target CAS, it’s always a good thing to add one more precision-guided munition to the tool kit, I think.

Here’s part of the story we’re running on Military​.com:

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Soldiers fired the first 155mm GPS-guided Excalibur artillery round in Afghanistan Feb. 25.

The GPS-guided Excalibur round was given the proper grid coordinate to seek out and destroy a target using the Enhanced Portable Inductive Artillery Fuse Setter by placing the system on the tip of the round and sending a digital message containing the coordinate for the round to find.

(more…)

In Defense News (subscription only):

The U.S. Army is considering buying more Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) systems, first fielded in 2006 to protect forward operating bases from incoming fire, said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Vane, who directs the Army Capabilities Integration Center.
The Army last increased its order in January, when it gave Northrop Grumman a $71 million contract to supply an unspecified number of C-RAMs. Vane declined to say how many of the weapons have been purchased, or how many might be added.

This seems to be an unstated confirmation that the C-RAM is performing acceptably in Iraq. C-RAM is based on the Navy’s Phalanx Block 1B 20mm Close In Weapons System and a Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control network. The actual results in the field are classified.
See R2-D2 vs. Mortar Rounds and Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System C-RAM plus previous coverage on Defense Tech for more on this system.
–Murdoc

When most bombs go off, they release a spray of deadly shards of steel. Now, imagine that those shards were themselves explosive, detonating in a massive chain reaction. It’s for real: Defense contractors are harnessing the strange alchemy of reactive materials (RMs) in which two or more inert materials are mixed to create an explosion to develop smaller, more lethal warheads, as well as new ways to protect troops against mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades.

RMs generally consist of powdered metals, such as aluminum or titanium, combined with an oxidizing agent. Whether that agent is another powdered metal or a nonmetallic compound, such as Teflon, contact alone isn’t enough to trigger an explosion. A powerful impact, however, will chemically mix the materials, igniting them and leading to a massive shock wave.

“A big challenge is making [RMs] strong enough to survive launch, but fragile enough to react on impact,” says Judah Goldwasser, program manager at the Office of Naval Research, which is developing RMs for potential use in antimissile systems…

Click HERE to read the full article from Popular Mechanics now available on Military​.com.

Raytheons innovative satellite-guided 155mm artillery shell was used in operations in Iraq last weekend to kill a top local al Qaeda leader south of Baghdad.

Bloomberg News Tony Capaccio reports a salvo of XM982 Excalibur artillery shells were targeted against Abu Jurah and 14 associates in a house near the town of Arab Jabour.

The two-shell salvo fired by Soldiers from the Armys 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment is particularly significant because it could mean the re-emergence of field artillery as a viable weapon in the highly restrictive combat environment of an urban counterinsurgency.

The statement e-mailed from Baghdad said Abu Jurah was “the top target” in al-Qaida south of Baghdad, responsible for a terrorist cell that made improvised roadside bombs and suicide-vehicle bombs and fired mortars at U.S. troops.

The attack marked the U.S. military’s first acknowledgement that the new precision-guided weapon has been used in Iraq. In combat testing before deployment, the weapon demonstrated accuracy within 20 feet (6 meters) of its target, a precision designed to minimize civilian casualties and accidental U.S. military deaths in a war that is increasingly urban.

(more…)