Changing Tactics in Iraq

by Ilana Freedman -- Tuesday, May 1, 2007

"I see the enemy’s tactics changing, and ours are not."

This was the opening line of a report from one of our colleagues now stationed in Iraq. He described how the terrorists who used to deploy random IEDs that plagued our convoys in single or double explosions, are now using multiple (usually four) mortars placed serially about 40 meters apart. They are capable of disabling our moving convoys. Once the convoy is halted, the enemy attacks with automatic firearms and mortars.

Another trend is the more widespread use of EFPs (Explosively Formed Projectiles or Penetrators). We first started seeing these attacks in the north, according to my source, where these armor- piercing devices were first deployed by members of a single tribe who winters there. Now that spring has arrived, they are migrating to the south for the summer months, so we have begun to see EFP attacks moving south. However, he reports that this tribe is now training other in EFP tactics. If this theory is correct, we should start to see more attacks throughout the country.

Which brings me to another issue. I have long said that the Humvee should never have been be deployed in Iraq, where almost every place is the front line. The "High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee)" was designed as a military AWD motor vehicle by AM General. But I don’t believe it was ever meant to be on the battlefield.

In order to protect the soldiers it carries, it must be heavily armored, which makes it difficult to maneuver. In today’s Iraq, they are over-armored and turn over easily, putting our soldiers at great risk. While they are now being replaced by ASVs, the pace is far too slow for some of our soldiers who don’t survive the ride.

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