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Demolitions
Watch any war film (or film for that matter) and you are likely to see your share of demolition obstacles. Additionally, study historical battles and engagements and quite possibly you will discover that demolitions played a key part in influencing the outcome. We break demolitions into two groups – preliminary and reserved. There are several differences between the two. Preliminary demolitions are not vital to a commander’s plan and they can be detonated whenever the tactical situation warrants. On the other hand, reserved demolitions are essential to the accomplishment of the plan and require a written demolition order to execute. Typical uses for demolitions are blowing craters in roads and runways, blowing track apart on railroads, destroying bridges and tunnels, demolishing buildings, and destroying dams to cause flooding.

Expedients
Remember the old episodes of McGyver? Now there was a man who could use expedients! In the world of obstacles, expedients are anything you can find to utilize as an obstacle. It is in the urban operations environment in which you really see a vast array of expedients used as obstacles. Some rubble here, some old cars there and in the ingenious mind of the Soldier you have all the resources you need to create a formidable obstacle. Expedients can really be of huge value on the battlefield. They do not tax the logistical system and if crafted properly they can truly blend into the environment. Consequently, the surprise factor to your enemy can be significant.

Land Mines
When you think of obstacles, land mines quickly come to mind. Unfortunately, as we frequently see in the news, the tragic effects of mines are found years after conflicts have ceased. Since the days before World War II, we have seen an unbelievable rise in the number, uses, and technology of land mines. In fact, it is estimated today there are almost 3,000 types of mines and fuses.

Land mines can be of the anti-tank (AT) or anti-personnel (AP) type. It is in the field of anti-personnel mines that have come under severe scrutiny in the past years. The Unites States, in particular has imposed extremely severe restrictions on the use of AP mines on the battlefield. However, there are other countries or groups who have not imposed these restrictions. Thus, they may utilize AP mines separately or mixed with AT mines.

Land mines can serve numerous roles. First, they are a significant resource in assisting units achieve the obstacle effect they desire. Second, assisting in achieving this effect can truly increase the lethality of a unit’s direct and indirect fire systems. Third, AT mines can inflict vehicle casualties in their own right. These can be of the catastrophic type or more than likely of the mobility type. These mobility casualties occur when a vehicle hits a mine and the explosion damages a vehicle’s suspension system (track, wheels, etc…). This damage makes the vehicle immovable and now makes the vehicle an obstacle itself. Finally, mines can have a huge psychological impact on the battlefield. The sight of a mine exploding and damaging a lead vehicle within a unit can dramatically impact the psyche of the Soldiers in that unit. This can lead to units either conducting actions haphazardly or at the other end of the spectrum becoming paralyzed in thought and action.

We term land mines as either conventional or scatterable. Let’s discuss each.

Conventional mines could be termed as “old school.” These mines are either emplaced by hand (not always a fun task) or by a mine-laying vehicle. Mines are either emplaced in a distinct pattern or simply placed randomly. The major characteristic of a conventional mine is that they do not self-destruct. These mines will stay armed until they are either detonated or disarmed (again, not a fun task). Generally, the task of emplacing these types of mines is time and Soldier intensive.

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