text: ________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 10
  • Conduct engineer support (reconnaissance, mobility, countermobility,
  and survivability) at any level.
  • Augment maneuver units.
  • Augment other operational-level units.
  • Support IW.
  10-9. The most frequent operational employment of constituent or dedicated en-
  gineer, engineer reconnaissance, and road- and bridge-construction units generally
  involves the formation of one or more functional groupings. Some of these are—
  • Obstacle detachments (ODs) to create minefields and other obstacles.
  • Movement support detachments (MSDs) to perform route reconnais-
  sance, route preparation, mineclearing, and route marking.
  • Obstacle-clearing detachments.
  • Engineer reconnaissance patrols.
  An OSC may form several of each, and each may be based on an engineer
  unit as large as a battalion. The OSC may also create an engineer reserve.
  MISSIONS
  10-10. The primary engineer missions performed in combat are in the catego-
  ries of reconnaissance, mobility, countermobility, and survivability. The
  OPFOR recognizes several basic combat tasks engineers perform in support
  of combined arms operations. Some of these tasks are to
  • Reconnoiter the enemy and the terrain.
  • Prepare fortifications.
  • Prepare and maintain movement routes.
  • Clear passages through obstacles and areas of destruction.
  • Equip and maintain gap crossings.
  • Establish engineer obstacles.
  • Support IW.
  • Extract and purify water and establish water supply points.
  • Carry out engineer measures to eliminate the effects of nuclear,
  biological, and chemical (NBC) and precision weapons.
  For more detail, see the sections later in this chapter dedicated to Engineer
  Reconnaissance, Survivability, Countermobility, and Support to Information
  Warfare. For more detail on mobility support, see FM 7-100.2.
  SUPPORT TO OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS
  10-11. In the offense, the engineers’ primary mission is to support the
  operation plan. Emphasis is on
  • Clearing and maintaining routes for maneuver units.
  • Clearing or removing mines and other obstacles.
  • Crossing gaps.
  • Creating obstacles to assist in flank protection and protection against
  counterattacks.