Dismounted Reconnaissance Troop - Army Electronic Publications ...

Security Operations
Figure 4-5. Example of a DRT conducting area security
4-65. Route security is a subset of area security. The purpose of route security is to prevent a threat from
attacking, destroying, seizing, containing, impeding, or harassing traffic along the route. It also prevents the
threat from interdicting traffic by emplacing obstacles on or destroying portions of the route. Route security
operations are defensive in nature and, unlike screen operations, are terrain oriented.
4-66. Threat forces will try to sever supply routes and LOCs by various methods. Roads, waterways, and
railways may be mined or have IEDs emplaced along them; ambush sites can be located adjacent to the
route being secured; or bridges and tunnels can be destroyed by demolitions. Because of the nature of this
mission, very long routes may be extremely difficult to secure; however, measures can be enforced to
reduce the effect of threat forces.
SECURITY FORCE TASKS
4-67. A route security force operates on and to the flanks of a designated route. To accomplish the route
security mission, the DRT performs the following functions:
Conducts dismounted reconnaissance of the route and key locations along it to ensure the route
is trafficable. Mounted reconnaissance if augmented with vehicles.
Conducts route clearance (task organized with attached engineers and other elements as
required) at designated irregular intervals to prevent emplacement of threat mines and other
explosive hazards along the route. (See FM 3-90.119.)
Identifies sections of the route to search suspected threat locations.
Establishes roadblocks/checkpoints along the route and lateral routes to stop and search vehicles
and persons on the route and those entering the route. This may require augmentation from other
units, such as an Infantry platoon.
Occupies key locations and terrain along or near the route.
Conducts ground and aerial reconnaissance/surveillance to maintain route security.
Establishes OPs (covert/overt) or ambushes at critical points to watch for threat activity.
Employs snipers to overwatch route for unusual activity, such as personnel attempting to plant
an IED.
ROUTE SECURITY METHODS
4-68. The following discussion highlights two methods that the DRT can use in executing route security
depending on the nature of the threat, purpose of the security mission, and characteristics of the route. The
methods are as follows:
16 November 2010 ATTP 3-20.97 4-17