For years, route clearance patrols have helped keep the streets of Afghanistan safe from improvised explosive devices. U.S. Army combat engineers scour the rustic each day on the lookout for IEDs, not only to verify safe travel for military convoys, but additionally to give protection to the Afghan citizens who use the roads besides.
But the day of the route clearance patrol has come to an end.
In the ongoing effort to extend operational effectiveness, route clearance patrol across Afghanistan are being reborn as combined-arms route clearance operations, or CARCOs.
“We have the similar mission; we still exit and clear IEDs. We still use a similar equipment. Now we just have certain enablers dedicated [to] and traveling with in order that we always have them [available] to organize for any contingencies,” said 1st Lt. Daniel Dillenback, platoon leader for CARCO 4, attached to 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Warrior, at Forward Operating Base Tagab.
For the engineers of CARCO 4, those enablers include one of the crucial 2nd Battalion’s infantrymen. On Oct. 15, those Soldiers received training on many of the IED-defeating tools they’re now patrolling with.
The infantrymen received some hands-on time with more than one the specialized vehicles utilized in route clearance. Especially, they familiarized themselves at the capabilities of an army vehicle also known as a buffalo. Front of the buffalo is provided with an extendable arm used to probe and grab suspicious areas roadside, allowing the warriors to look for IEDs with no need to depart the security of the vehicle.
When the warriors do must leave the vehicle though, the engineers trained the infantrymen at the proper use of several handheld devices that do everything from simple wire detection to tools that use ground penetrating radar.
Another set of devices CARCOs use, block the signal of devices that could remotely detonate IEDs while the warriors are dismounted and investigating the route with their handheld devices.
“The junior guys really took to the learning. They’re seeing numerous equipment they’ve never really handled and they’re really intrigued by all of it,” said Sgt. 1st Class Edwin Lewis, platoon sergeant, CARCO 4.
Learning methods to use the entire equipment means nothing, if the warriors using it can’t read the signs of where an IED should be would becould very well be, and what kind it’s they’re coping with. As another portion of their CARCO training, the infantrymen received classes on recognizing various kinds of ordnance and danger spots.
“I think it’s great training.” said Sgt. Jonathan Gunter, a team leader with 2nd Battalion who serves as his platoon’s counter-IED master trainer. “It was great for many us [infantrymen] who will possibly not have seen a few of these items before. It was more of a broom-up for me, but I still got a number of training value in it.”
The day’s instruction wasn’t a one-time event. The 2nd Battalion’s engineers meet with the infantrymen at the least bi-weekly to be certain they’re as prepared as they are often when the roads need clearing.
“The threat of firefights will always be there, however the no 1 killer in Afghanistan is IEDs,” said Gunter. “That’s an important thing we’ll encounter, and it’s the foremost thing to think of across all of Afghanistan.”
The threat of firefights is probably the reasons route clearance patrols are making the change over to combined-arms operations. The military wants route clearance operations better protected from direct attacks, so as well as the infantrymen, CARCOs even have indirect fire support traveling with them.
Another advantage the route clearance operations may have are dedicated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets, so the patrols could have better situational awareness in their surroundings on mission.
“A lot of the assets we’ve already been using, but, what this does, is ensure that we’ll have them now. i believe it helps,” said Dillenback.
CARCO 4 and 2nd Battalion fall under 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Task Force Patriot.
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