Local conditions determine whether a convoy moves under blackout
conditions or with lights.
Under blackout conditions, you must
ensure that the distance between vehicles is approximately 15 to 20
meters.
Speed should not exceed 5 to 10 miles per hour.
When
operating with lights, vehicles should maintain a distance between
vehicles of 50 to 100 meters at a speed of 15 to 20 miles per hour.
Due to control and security difficulties resulting from reduced
visibility, you must ensure that march elements are organized into
easily manageable sizes.
They should also have adequate security
escorts. When possible, provide the convoy with additional radios to
ensure rapid communication between all elements involved.
You can
effectively use guntrucks, armored cars, helicopters, armored
personnel carriers, and tanks as escorts and security elements;
however, you should be aware that guntrucks are the convoy's organic
and prime means of defense (see Figure 3-1), but such security
elements are by no means always provided. Fundamentally, the convoy
must rely on its own organic assets for defense purposes.
Figure 3-1.
Guntruck.
When planning the location of guntrucks, you must--
obtain the escort commander' s recommendation concerning where
escort armored vehicles should be positioned.
consider the number of escort vehicles available, the size of
the convoy, terrain, highway characteristics,
51
TR1009