The Importance Of Convoy Protection

While the battlefield has changed immensely over the course of the 20th an 21st centuries, one thing remains relatively consistent: even despite the changed nature of the battles, the convoy is the primary way that troops navigate places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Convoys typically contain large numbers of American troops who are moving between foreign military bases or between “sites of interest” where the most intense battles take place. For this reason, convoy protection is absolutely essential and has been a top priority of the military for more than 150 years. Without adequate protection of a US military convoy, truly staggering amounts of troops are put at risk and could be killed before the heat of the fight even begins.

Modern Convoy Protection

In America’s latest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, convoy protection has entered a new age. Previously, convoys were defended physically by troops who remained on the lookout for the duration of the trip and alerted their fellow men to any threats that might be headed their way. To some extent, this is still the case. After all, not every threat to American convoys is an explosive device placed on the side of the road.

But, increasingly, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are exactly the biggest threat faced by American convoys. These explosive devices can be remotely detonated by terrorists who have cell phones; essentially, one cellular phone is placed with the bomb, and another is retained by the person who will do the detonating. As an American convoy passes by the device, a phone call is made to the bomb and the device explodes.

This practice has resulted in the loss of hundreds of American troops, and the life-threatening injury of thousands more. In response, the military has turned to radio jamming to produce devices that block foreign cell phones from receiving even one bar of wireless service and no bomb is going to be detonated by a terrorist leaving a voice-mail.

This type of convoy protection device has rapidly evolved as technology has improved, and has become the surest way of knowing that American troops will get from one place to the other without facing a series of deadly explosions and improved bombs on the way.

The Importance of Protecting Convoys

Terrorists never counted on American developing radio jamming devices that would stop their explosives from, well, exploding. Their goal was to have these devices be on the front lines, preventing American troops from getting to their next battle or destination by blowing them up before they could reach it.

But with a convoy protection device like a radio jammer, terrorists are increasingly on the run as American troops not only get to their destination, but accomplish their anti-terrorism objectives upon arrival. Due in part to this technology, troops are now coming home in larger numbers for good.