AFTER ACTION REPORT ON DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTHWEST ASIA

File: 110596_sep96_decls2_0005.txt
Page: 0005
Total Pages: 14

Subject: AFTER ACTION REPORT ON DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTHWEST ASIA             

Unit: 22D SUPCOM  

Parent Organization: ARCENT      

Box ID: BX005554

Folder Title: ARMY EOD IN DESERT STORM VOL 4 543 EOD TEAM EODCT                                               

Document Number:          1

Folder SEQ  #:          4







       AFFU-543
       SUBJECT: After Action ReDort


       ideal EOD reSDonse vehicle. I tend to aaree. but nobodv's ever used one
       in that caoacltv. Several units used the Dassenaer version with oood
       success. I onlv ever cot stuck once in a Blazer (in ankle-deeo mud wav
       o+f-road). I used the sand ladders we had fabricated to extricate mvsll+.
          A Drablem evervone ran into was not havina the oraanic caoabilitv to
       haul all of our ecuidment. External tranSDOrtation assets were available.
       but often not when needed or not to a small detachment. Thinas we needed
       to carrv in addition to MTOE eaLtiDment were Dallets of rations. water. and
       lumber. EOD units used to be authorized the M109A3 shoo van.       I DroDose
       we be authorized a 2 1/2-ton or 5-ton caroo truck.
          Lastlv. I'd like to discuss mobile command oc3sts.    There is  onlv one
       choice: a trailer. For our ourdoses. our Wells Caroo     fi-Fteen-foot trailer
       was suderb. We outfitted it with radios (FM and HF).     a COMDuter and
       Drinter. CODV machine. TV/VCR. electric fan and heater. microwave oven.
       and sheivin'o'for field safes and reference books. It had its own cower'
       SUDDlv. a commercial Z,.3kW aenerator mounted on the tonaue. and was fitted
       with function boxes and other electric hardware. There is no finer
       example. For the detachments. where mobilitv is more of a concern. one
       unit built a CP onto a 3/4-ton   trailer that had nearly evervthina ours
       did. Trailers are low maintenance and can be adaoted to suit a wide ranae
       of requirements.


       6. COMMUNICATIONS. Without reliable lona-ranoe communications, our
       current ooeratina scheme does not work weil. 6oeratina in the
       decentralized mo@e. as we did +or the most Dart'. is an inefficient means
       of allowina the EOD  Control Team Commander  to know the disoosition a+ his
ents
       that came into control were oassed to the units we could aet a hold of.
       not necessarily the closest one to the incident. Our units miaht as well
                                                                         7
       have worked lack. stock. and barrel for their reSDective divisions and
       coros suodort orouos.
          What is nee@ed is a  lono-ranae dedicated internal net   bv which the
       control team can reach  its units no matter how far awav. At times we had
       units over 300 miles awav. The tactical telephone svtem     was our orimarv
       means a+ communicatina. Phone% were hard to come bv in the XVIII C(3ros
       and onlv once. for a Deriod of about a week-. did we have our own phone.
       This internal net would be some +arm a+ satellite-link radio or tele     'ohone
       (I know such thinas must exist in the inventory). It would not even be
       necessary +or us to talk to anybodv external to this net. For
       communicatina  with nearbv DISCOMs or other larae elements. the FM radios
       are adeauate. And what a+ the vaunted HF radios like the AN/GRC-193 and
       213? Well. we didn't have enouah to ao around. and the results Of usina
       these radios were diSaDDointina. We were not able to talk manv more times
       than we could. This radio was forbidden to be used in the earlv staaes a+
       Desert Storm due to its areat RF sionature.
          The AN/VRC-127 hand-held radio craved to be invaluable -For manv
       aDDlications. Durina the around war. it,was our onlv direct link +ram our
       C'P'to the XVIII ABN Coros Rear CP. Distance was about one-and-a-hal+
       miles. We used an enhanced antenna consistiric3 of a strand of CODDer wire
       about twentv-+ive feet in lenoth. Manv units COMDlained about not havina

Document 14 f:/Week-42/BX005554/ARMY EOD IN DESERT STORM VOL 4 543 EOD TEAM EODCT/after action report on deployment to southwest a:1104960912415
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-42
Box ID = BX005554
Unit = 22D SUPCOM
Parent Organization = ARCENT
Folder Title = ARMY EOD IN DESERT STORM VOL 4 543 EOD TEAM EODCT
Folder Seq # = 4
Subject = AFTER ACTION REPORT ON DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTHWEST A
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 04-NOV-1996