Enhancing Combat Effectiveness: Implementation of Collective Scanning Techniques

Armored vehicles are crucial to mod­ern warfare, providing ground forces with mobility, protection, and firepow­er. Central to their effectiveness is the utilization of advanced optics that en­able crewmembers to gather critical in­formation about their surroundings, identify potential threats, and make in­formed decisions. Understanding scan­ning techniques and detection princi­ples is vital for maximizing crew abili­ties and enhancing the combat effec­tiveness of armored vehicles across the force.

Situational awareness is central to combat effectiveness. While operating inside of an armored vehicle, crewmembers must rely on external optics to gain a picture of the world outside. These external viewing optics may have effective magnification and ther­mal imaging, but they are limited by their field of view. Effective scanning techniques are essential for under­standing the entire battlefield. By con­tinuously scanning their surroundings, crews can detect enemy positions, monitor friendly forces, and identify key terrain features. Scanning is a sys­tematic approach to observe designat­ed areas or an assigned sector. Five de­tection methods can identify potential threat locations: rapid, slow, horizon­tal, vertical, and detailed.(1) Small units or crews employ multiple scan and search methods simultaneously, vary­ing them to maximize threat acquisition. Crewmembers should start with a rapid scan of the sector to identify irregularities. If an irregularity is detected, a more refined search or deliberate observation of the area is necessary.

Note: Soldiers scanning for aircraft may miss targets in the lower portion of their sector if they look too high above the horizon. The correct upper limit is 20 degrees.(2)

Detecting threats is paramount and re­quires utilizing available sensors, op­tics, and systems. Identifying potential threats quickly allows friendly forces to respond effectively. Crewmembers must learn optimal techniques to en­hance target detection.

Today’s battlefield presents various threats, but our primary concerns re­main enemy combatants, hostile vehi­cles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Thermal imaging systems detect heat signatures associated with threats, but scanning techniques empower ar­mored crews to identify these threats and take proactive measures to neu­tralize or avoid danger. An effective search is a systematic approach that allows crews to apply their individual scan methods collectively. The prima­ry goal of collective searching is to eliminate dead space and unobserved areas, maximizing crew threat detec­tion capabilities. By applying collective scanning techniques, crewmembers effectively mitigate threats over a wid­er area of operation.

Three basic techniques are used for collective searching by small units or crews: overlapping sectors, dividing sectors, and sectors in depth (near or far).(3) Units may combine all three techniques into their threat detection procedures if necessary. Some threats are harder to detect than others. Sol­diers must be well trained to detect and locate targets, including under­standing detection challenges and how to overcome them. Overcoming detection challenges slows the target detection process, regardless of train­ing level. Soldiers must understand why these challenges occur and how to overcome them. Difficult targets in­clude small or single targets in com­plex environments, camouflaged tar­gets, and peripheral targets (targets on the edge of the field of view). Chal­lenges include observer’s physical de­ficiencies (fatigue) or significant envi­ronmental changes (mirage or fog). Some of these challenges are over­come through training while others are overcome through recognition and planning.(4)

Threat detection is a critical skill, whether Soldiers are dismounted or mounted. It requires thoughtful appli­cation of available sensors, optics, and systems. Quickly and effectively find­ing potential threats maximizes the time friendly forces have to defeat them. An initial scan can be done with the naked eye, but Soldiers familiarize themselves with the best practices for target detection using advanced op­tics.

Figure 1. U.S. Army SGT Cris Flores, left, and SPC Jordan Byington, both assigned to 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, operate a Bradley Fighting Vehicle at Fort Stewart, GA. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Benjamin Hale)

The key aspect of combat effectiveness is the ability to accurately acquire and engage targets with precision and speed. Scanning techniques play a piv­otal role in this process by enabling crewmembers to identify and track en­emy forces. Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras provide enhanced tar­get discrimination capabilities, allow­ing crews to differentiate between combatants and non-combatants. Ad­ditionally, laser rangefinders and bal­listic computers facilitate precise weapon aiming, increasing the proba­bility of successful engagements. Once a possible threat is detected in a gen­eral area during the search, crews must rapidly acquire the actual threat. Sol­diers should employ all available assets and options to facilitate rapid target acquisition. To accomplish this, ade­quate training must be allotted for sight adjustment and range finding techniques. The complexity of the switches on crewmember’s hand sta­tions and sight control panels can hin­der maximizing platform capabilities.

Current optics, thermals, sensors, and illuminators compound threat detec­tion challenges by how they function. It is important leaders and Soldiers are extremely familiar with their assigned optics and which stimulant they are ca­pable of detecting. This includes their ability to manipulate the optic’s con­trols, switching between wide field of view (WFOV) and narrow field of view (NFOV), and transitioning between thermal and image intensifier (I2) op­tics. This builds Soldier proficiency in employing multiple sensors or optics to detect threats efficiently within their sector, as rapidly and accurately as possible.(5)

Scanning techniques and target detec­tion principles are pivotal to enhancing the combat effectiveness of armored vehicles across the fighting force. When applied correctly, these tech­niques and principles allow small units and crews to maintain situational awareness and detect/acquire targets with precision. They empower crews to confidently and accurately navigate the complexities of the modern battlefield. As technology progresses, optics will assume a more prominent role in bat­tlefield development. Units must in­vest substantial time and resources in training crewmembers to optimally uti­lize advance vehicle optics. This proac­tive approach ensures armored forma­tions retain their position of advantage on the forefront of combat capability and remain prepared to confront the evolving challenges of future conflicts.

Sergeant First Class Jesse R. Craven currently serves as a Senior Instructor of the Bradley Master Gunner School, 3rd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia, following previous roles as an Instructor within the same school, Brigade Master Gun­ner for the 174th Infantry Brigade in Fort Dix, New Jersey, Platoon Sergeant and Squadron (MG) with 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Squadron in Fort Carson, Colorado, and as a Section Leader with 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Squadron in Fort Riley, Kansas. SFC Craven holds an associate's degree in military history from American Military University and has completed extensive military train­ing including Master Gunner, Sniper, and various leadership courses, along­side five deployments with four combat tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. SFC Craven is a highly decorated Soldier recognized with two Meritorious Service Medals, twelve Army Commendation Medals, six Army Achievement Medals, two Military Out­standing Volunteer Service Medals, and earning the Combat Action Badge, Master Gunner Identification Badge, and Expert Marksmanship Badge.

Notes

1. U.S. Department of the Army, Training Circular 3-20.31-4, October 2024, https:// rdl.train.army.mil/catalog-ws/view/100. ATSC/754BB14F-0662-4A69-9C25­78713EF98F0C-1729556078743/ TC3_20x31_043.pdf.

2 Ibid

3 Ibid

4 Ibid

5 Ibid

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