DRONES Part Six: Temporary Encampments and Homes, by GuerrillaLogistician
DRONES Part Three: Air Force Development, by GuerrillaLogistician
DRONES Part Four: Personnel and Drones, by GuerrillaLogistician
Reference – D6
By GuerrillaLogistician
@glogistician on X.com
Outline for camouflaging of bivouac
- Study aerial photographs and use aerial reconnaissance to make tentative plans of where to locate temporary shelters in heavily textured areas such as forests.
- If possible, make a ground reconnaissance of the area.
- Make a final comprehensive camouflage plan, and if necessary, draw a diagram of the map overlay to the area and what camouflage will be required to conceal the location.
- have adequate dispersion.
- areas for
- Tents
- facilities such as temporary chow, mechanical repair, and medical facilities Vehicle and equipment parking
- security elements
- cutting of natural material for concealment
- disposal of soil
- Track plan
- Make use of existing footpaths and vehicle tracks.
- Keep new footpaths and vehicle tracks to a minimum and conceal them by setting them under overhead cover and close to or along natural lines in the terrain patterns
- Provide a concealed entrance and exit to the area.
- Provide one-way traffic circulation.
- Make a camouflage plan effective by:
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- Use of subdued traffic signs and reflectors that are not easily spotted from an aerial view.
- Clearly mark foot and vehicle paths in a subdued manner, such as using a wire of a subdued collar or 550 cord.
- posting traffic guides to prevent shortcuts and other violations of the camouflage discipline
- erecting overhead or oblique screening when necessary
- improve soft or soggy sections of the roadbed to prevent it from becoming noticeably rutted or widened
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Nothing screams “here I am” like bivouacs, command posts, supply points, and medical installations. One of the key issues that has been going on with the war with drones is the near impossible urge for militaries to pile up man and machine in concentrated areas. Much like the Civil War, I believe a lot of this will go down in history as people looking back at stupidity. This isn’t because the concepts were dumb; it’s because when you have overwhelming firepower, air superiority breeds complacency. Those capabilities needed during GWOT are massively different than what we experienced during World War 2 and Korea. While I do not doubt that there will always be supply chains and built-up areas deeper behind the line of conflict, the reality is that all of this has been learned before in World War II. These concepts, which we were building with the vehicles and individual concealment articles, are just expansions of the same principles. Some small techniques and tricks help out with modern technology, but the concept still sticks from almost 80 years ago. So let’s dive into the issues that we see with the Russians and Ukrainians and dig a little more into how to house, protect, and operate in an environment where any stray signal or unwanted exposure could get a whole command post leveled by drones.
First of all, let’s discuss how many command posts have fallen since the start of the war. Both sides had a constant urge to install command posts with their staff to operate the war. The downside was that this made a very handsome target for the enemy, which they would persecute into destruction. I can’t find the specific quote, but if my memory serves me, most command posts that were stood up only lasted about 90 minutes. Cruise missiles would strike these command posts at the start of the war. With all such things, outgoing signals from command and control at a centralized location are easy to track with electronic warfare. Not only that, but many people carry cell phones these days, which has led to training facilities staffed by volunteers from other nations being destroyed with heavy casualties.
Add to that that when you find a facility with a lot of vehicles and a lot of built-up infrastructure to support the warfighter, it’s now a very juicy target for drone systems. If it isn’t the use of indirect-fire weapons, such as artillery and missiles, working alongside drones to detect and guide munitions onto the target, it’s stray HUK drones flying around, finding these targets and persecuting them. This is no different from what World War II had in terms of its command post and logistical structure. For those who know anyone in the logistics mindset who understands that many in the field have a very by-the-book, economically frugal approach to managing supplies. It should be obvious with modern warfare how this would be a bad way to do things. This mindset also extends to not just controlling logistics but also building up areas, which is a key function of units like Red Horse and the Seabees. Efficiency builds speed, and speed builds structures. The downside is that you leave one hell of a footprint visible from the air. Moreover, the vehicles needed to maintain the logistical train will also expose you. See the previous article for more details, but the concepts of dispersion and camouflage are the same as those for vehicles.
Regardless of the structure you’re putting up, all the camouflage techniques for these installations basically face the same issues, with minor variations. During this conflict, medical facilities have been attacked by both sides, leading to major changes in how medical care and personnel placement have unfolded. This means even the most sacred of locations can become the enemy’s first target because it’s easy to spot. When personnel or equipment are going to be closely grouped in one area for more than a few hours, there should be a plan not only to conceal but also to mitigate reckless behavior that could lead to the destruction of the whole group. It should, without a doubt, be clear from all of these articles that grouping up in one location is a dangerous gambit these days. But it is also almost impossible to assign everyone to an infinite number of locations and maintain clear command, or to maintain sound medical capabilities. There is a balance to this; everyone in charge should understand that this is a necessary evil.
Hiding the Bivouac
Logistically easy site, readily seen in WWII image vs what should have been done by both vehicles and tents.
The standard definition of a bivouac is a temporary area established by the military for rest, resupply, and the treatment of injuries. These are temporary locations designed to feed, temporarily house, and protect the troops from the elements as much as possible while allowing the movement of the lines. The issue that has arisen during this war is the extensive air observation capability at many bivouac sites, forcing many of these locations underground for several reasons. I’m not sure if you would call this a bivouac, but more of a spiritual evolution of such things. Many of these underground complexes are being built as quickly as possible with minimal personnel, with sleeping quarters and food preparation near the front lines being top priority. As you’ve probably seen in previous videos and posts, parking arrangements are one of the key issues that get these locations spotted. However, let’s take a little dive into how people reached their locations during World War II, and then see how many of these underground facilities are being exposed. There’s a stark similarity in the issues going on here on both sides, and I believe much of this stems from the fact that many of these soldiers are ill-prepared and undertrained for the situation.
https://x.com/ianmiles/status/1795900647096676710?s=20
Russian bunker system, along with wasted propaganda aesthetics
Let’s first address the standard issue with Modern Warfare that the American forces have been dealing with, versus the issues that have come to the surface since this conflict. Anyone who studies conflict understands that there are lines of drift and patterns of life. The soldier has their own pattern of life, such as using the military crest, while your average civilian might walk on top of a Ridge line because they aren’t in fear of death. With that concept, the American forces on FOBs would unify everything into neat, orderly layouts, giving both the logistics and the soldiers the convenience and pleasure they all wish for. With the US forces capable of dominating the airspace, the only thing left to really engage these compounds was the indirect fire from insurgents. I’m sure I wasn’t the only soldier who caught and reported individuals who were pacing out the base while working on that very base.
Because of this, over time, our complexes would get attacked, and for those old enough, the daily attacks were so regular and so accurate that people would leave places like Kandahar’s boardwalk at certain times. I discussed this because the operational systems for logistics and building infrastructure are directly opposed to the protection of these facilities, both temporary and semi-permanent. If you are part of the logistics or construction side of things, you must start realizing that the convenience and efficiency can get both you and future soldiers killed in your area. While you should be striving for efficiency, the name of the game is survival above all else. If you aren’t charged with handling these paper pushers and meatheads with hammers, realize that they are trying to do the most efficient thing to make you happy, but sometimes these people haven’t been trained specifically in the concept of hiding. None of this has changed since World War II, as shown in the two photos below: a whole unit was set up in a field, and the proper way was displayed below it. Aircraft attacks on even a concealed bivouac happened because the pilot spotted something as simple as a shiny mess kit flashing in the midday sun. This would direct aircraft onto certain areas of interest, and that concept hasn’t changed today. Hence, the previous articles started with the individual soldier and worked their way up.
Development of a Bivouac
There are 4 main stages to developing a bivouac, starting with planning. As stated above, Bivouacs are generally hasty installations used as temporary resting and replenishment positions. This means that major construction should not be involved if possible. Remember, if the lines stabilize in one position, this bivouac area may need to be developed by engineers. For now, focusing on a hasty, quickly entered, and quickly departed location, integrated with hasty camouflage techniques, is important, as is where you decide to place the bivouac. As shown above, these locations should be set up in concealment, which means you must conduct reconnaissance to choose the position.
Planning stage
The general area of your setup should be based on the tactical plan, which means conducting reconnaissance to understand the ground pattern and the terrain’s general features. This can now be done with satellite imagery, as well as drone imagery. Giving your personnel planning the bivouac a much better understanding of what they may face as they arrive at the location. While Murphy can always cause issues, it has never been easier for militaries to design and implement temporary locations. The US military refers to the organization in charge of planning a quartering party, in reference to the quartering of troops in barracks. Let’s discuss what decision-makers must keep in mind when laying out a potential position.
- The mission of the unit and the tactical plan it demands, along with its concealment.
- Access routes and effectiveness of the concealment of those routes, along with a prepared and maintained track plan. (Track Plan: Ingress Egress routes)
- Existing concealment qualities of the area, such as how much foliage or terrain features are present.
- Size of the area in relation to the unit’s size and the dispersion needed to take advantage of the natural concealment while still having the capability to protect the area.
- Concealment of all-around defense elements in their positions, even though other elements of a bivouac are well concealed. A conspicuous all-around defense may betray your location.
https://x.com/WarMonitorClips/status/1857492818052395126?s=20
Delayed explosion of a drone flying into a trench from a non-concealed trench entrance of a poorly concealed Track Plan
Another main facet of your planning will be the occupation stage, also called sitting. While everyone would love a nicely forested area with multiple entry and exit points concealed from the enemy, this isn’t really going to be the case. We can see this from numerous tactical errors by both parties in the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Remember, shadows, terrain lines, rocky areas, villages, farms, and even deserts can hide large numbers of people. Unfortunately, there is never a perfect landscape for anyone, so it is up to the commander and the quartering party to properly fit and disperse these units.
This comes to the maintaining stage of the process, which is also involved with the preparation and dissemination of orders. Not only must you have a camouflage plan in place, but you’ll also need a description of the camouflage needed for the area, focusing on key entry points, exit routes, and hard-hide facilities such as kitchens that generate heat that can be spotted on thermals. You must also warn people about areas they should avoid to prevent them from leaving obvious tracks, such as recently upturned ground.
Occupation stage
https://x.com/markito0171/status/1999510988589056103?s=20
Some evidence of drones following paths to Bivouac areas.
A carefully controlled traffic plan must be adhered to for full bivouac operations. Guide and personnel, along with the planned movement of men and material, must be enforced and disciplined to avoid giving away the position. In World War 2 many places had turn-ins that were wired clearly to prevent widening of corners by vehicles. Foot troops were also wired in to conceal beaten ground from aerial observation. We forget quickly how multiple men can turn a grassy field into a hardened track between two buildings. Although I’m sure a first sergeant who yelled at you was well aware of this.
Mismanaged traffic
Dispersion is also another key issue to address. While it’s very easy to operate in a tightly formed formation, both for maintenance purposes, refueling, and general security, this can be detrimental when it comes to indirect fire and now the threat of drones. While no one wants to discuss casualties. The reality is that in warfare, you will lose troops. To help mitigate that in a bivouac, it is important to disperse troops and vehicles. The core value of dispersion also helps not only protect your vehicles, which should be no less than 30 yards apart in wooded terrain and 100 yards in desert terrain, but it also protects your units from being destroyed by artillery. Add to that, dispersion must also be dealt with in specific congested areas. This could be any kitchen and eating areas. Things like temporary bathroom plans should also be dispersed while maintaining hygiene. Not only does this protect people from diseases, it also helps the thermal signature produce by decomposing materials.
Along with dispersion, immediate camouflage measures should also be implemented. Now more than ever, camouflage is not just an afterthought but a core principle of staying alive. Recently tracked areas or terrain upturn can expose your position. It is key to conceal this as quickly as possible, especially with the constant drone activity. Even though the thermal cameras are prevalent in combat and even on drone systems, there are only so many to go around. Add to that only some have really good-quality imaging capabilities like the larger drone platforms. This means a lot of movement and tactical operations end up happening at night, rather than during the day when drones are most active. Unfortunately, a lot of concealment gets missed at night and must be addressed as soon as possible. Make sure that you spend enough time cleaning up your tracks and concealing any disturbances, such as spoils from foxholes.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FNPvKse4y/
Drone finding and attacking other drone operators due to the obvious walking paths and landing pads.
Tracks also become another issue that must be addressed at all times. When it is impossible to stay on an existing route or defined path, there are three options to be made. First, create new paths and tracks along the existing natural lines, such as the edges of woods, irrigation ditches, and power lines. Second, if a new path needs to be made, the natural extension and termination to another road should be created. The false section must appear as well-traveled as the true section, which will help prevent people from thinking you’re in a specific environment. With the new drone operations and ambush techniques, this may not be sufficient, but it may delay reconnaissance of the area. The third is to wire treetops over an exposed root, which not only covers the existing view from high above but also helps comlicate the flight of HUK drones in the area. Obviously, they can’t stop everything, but tree limbs can entangle both wireless and wire drones.
Maintenance stage
https://x.com/GeromanAT/status/1899500626654253226?s=20
Open trench
https://x.com/Playfra0/status/1991148654405538030?s=20
Ukrainian trench line
https://x.com/TheDeadDistrict/status/1745859468456288498?s=20
Video of the Ukraine trench system, 2 meters deep
The main stage or occupation stage is one of the most critical. If the occupation stage has been successful from a camouflage standpoint, the main stage is easier. As the concept suggests, you are maintaining the camouflage of your position, finding and fixing camouflage issues, and making sure all the personnel are observing camouflage discipline. This goes from the top down of the location to the vehicles and then to the personnel. Bivouac locations are not designed to be long-term positions, so you must follow all the natural camouflage techniques and practices as if you were on patrol or near the front lines.
Kitchen areas are critical activity areas that require much more thought than ever before. If anyone has been hungry or stuck out in the woods long enough, the smell of food or even a smoky fire can drift miles, and this is no different for a heated-up MRE or T ration. Not only that, everybody has to go to the kitchen to get the food and move off to another location to eat. This location should be a controlled area as well, instead of taking everything back to random, more exposed positions. Every facet of this can’t be described right now, but the hygiene levels and standards should be maintained as much as possible while balancing the security and camouflage of your location. If your people get sick, you will have less manpower, substantially weakening your capabilities, something many people forget. Simple measures like effective camouflage draping and heat-mitigation strategies for thermal signatures can prevent a range of observation capabilities, even from aerial drones. Also, realize that any garbage disposal done on the ground must also be camouflaged, along with the loose soil set aside to cover those trash pits. Add to that task anything from fecal matter to food products, which will give off heat as they decompose, so that must be addressed as well. In World War II, most stove systems used a baffle system to break up smoke, helping camouflage it from an aerial view. Now more than ever, the thermal signature makes this paramount.
Night discipline is another challenge in situations like this. The urge to pull out cell phones in modern combat has been so prevalent as to kill numerous people during this conflict. Another issue with night operations is that many drones don’t fly at night, but some reconnaissance drones are specifically designed to do so. This may change in the future, with almost all drones being night-capable, but time will tell. Given that night attacks are an excellent time to attack an enemy, I suspect this will become a greater issue over time. With that said, the few capable night and long-range reconnaissance drones in most modern militaries can operate at night with both thermal and daylight imaging. This means stray light can be easily spotted, as they did in World War II, and the US army was very aware of how inopportune this could be for its forces.
As night vision has proliferated in the battle space, every light from IR to visible light can be a damning mistake for everyone around. During World War II, they recommended avoiding open fires at night for cooking, especially leaving laundry out to dry, which could reveal positions. Several forces during the conflict have been captured by drying their uniforms outside, where drones could detect this. Some of this happened because clothing left overnight was forgotten, and daylight exposed its position. This is a major recurring theme of the mistakes made, and the video evidence is clear. So you must not only worry about night discipline in these areas, but also the subsequent actions taken that might expose you in the morning.
Tent concealment in Open Terrain
Open-terrain bivouacs have different concealment issues. Not only do you have issues with adequate concealment from vegetation, but light discipline is even more difficult in arid environments. This means you have to double down on both light discipline and covering your tracks as best as possible. Unfortunately, the best situation is to have a lot of coverings that help you blend into the environment, along with additional camouflage patterns specific to the area you’re in. Disruptive patterns can be made by using paint mud or native grasses and should be applied to everything, including the tents. Those tents may need to be draped with additional camouflage to reduce their visibility at a distance. During World War II, during the daytime, tents were struck and concealed with natural vegetation, if available, or in rock recesses. This is why, during the global war on terror’s initial assault into places like Iraq and Afghanistan, most personnel dug in around their vehicle or in whatever building they could acquire.
Evacuation stage
One of the more glossed-over details is the evacuation stage. Many people merely pick up and maneuver out of a position without much forethought of what can be left for the enemy. Prior setup positions marked out tent areas and footpaths, giving the enemy ample information on who was there and how many. They can figure out which weapon systems, how many personnel, and how many vehicles were at that position. Sometimes false bivouacs might be used as part of a tactical plan to camouflage other forces or to decoy enemy Recon. Regardless of the situations at hand, cleaning up after yourself is paramount, from the trash to the terrain’s destruction; things should be put back into place as the fighting forces move on. This means there must always be a balance between the destruction, safety, and security, and what it will take to recover that area to a mostly untouched environment. Those who have shoveled holes in the military just to fill them in and dig another hole may not have seen the purpose of it at the time. However, again, we’re seeing the same issues in Ukraine and the lack of discipline getting people killed and detailed information on enemy movements from formerly dug-in positions.
Bivouac in snow
While each terrain has its difficulties, creating a suitable site to house people can still be one of the most difficult ones to address. There are several unique problems with snow that arise even before we discuss the more prevalent thermal signatures. Some of these problems occur in the fall, when leaves fall from the trees. The lack of leaf cover allows clear visibility into wooded areas, thus diminishing their ability to conceal locations. This alone can be difficult to deal with and can mitigate some of the colorations and camouflages commonly used. Now add to this the white snowy background, which, as anyone who’s lived in the area understands, doesn’t cover everything uniformly. Often, snow falls and melts during the season, leaving bare patches of earth or snowdrifts in the most inopportune places. Add to that that snowy conditions expose makeshift paths, and even footprints can be seen with the right light. This means many of the shadows from terrain features and sparse foliage become key hiding spots for those operating in snowy conditions. One of the more important things is good route selection because snow exposes vehicle and foot traffic more easily. Many of the tracks must be camouflaged by darker landscape features because it’s nearly impossible to erase all traces of travel. This means a lot of preparation, and even decoy sites become far more important than ever before. Tracks should be smoothed out or sloped obliquely to minimize their shadows throughout the day. Personnel and vehicles must also be heavily restricted in movement in open areas. Realize that an all-white paint job is not the most concealing technique. While some snow patterns on vehicles and materials will help mitigate observation foliage and train, the positions of personnel and vehicles may create different patterns. Add to the complications of snow and staying warm, positions can also lose snow over time from the body heat and other factors. This might mean a location you set up was initially concealed, but later became heavily exposed and obvious simply by occupying the position.
Supplies shown before and after snow build up along with truck tracks. WWII
Concealing shelters near the shadows of trees makes them far more difficult to find. Add to that the need for thermal insulation from thermal drones, which will have a far easier time spotting you, and it becomes even more important. We’ve discussed thermal blankets a bit previously, but in snow operations, they are far more important for temporary concealment because of the drones’ hazards than in normal operations. With that said, things like plastic sheets, such as Polycryo, can serve as windows in your shelter and reduce some of your thermal exposure. Things like fine mesh and even chicken wire painted white will help conceal and break up supply positions as well. When it comes to the supplies that can be left outside, concealment becomes a little bit more simplistic, provided there’s no major thermal signature, and the foot traffic is limited to these materials. Camouflage knitting can still be used, though it is recommended that you paint your netting to match the environment you’re in, if possible. This means diminishing the greens, leaving the browns and greys, and adding white in a proper pattern for where the net is being used.
American Troops under a tree using camo to conceal their position from overhead observation.
Another major obstacle is ensuring that your personnel paths are sufficient to prevent easy observation by both drone systems and foot traffic, which can compress or displace the snow. If a more permanent pose position is established that requires roads, an overhead screening should be applied along with things like white painted chicken wire to prevent drones from clearly observing these transit locations. One of the critical factors that will also cause major issues is that of waste materials. While most militaries are told to bury their trash, this can disturb the terrain, so special effort must be made for both latrine and trash disposal in snowy environments. This process should be used regardless of the snowy conditions, but it’s more important because much of the materials and waste can stand out both thermally and by their obvious visibility on white snow. A drone flying over an area that’s covered in yellow snow has a great chance of finding your position, then you might think.
Even in normal conditions, smoke can give you away, along with the scent of fire, if Recon is nearby. This can be even more prominent in the wintertime, where Gray smoke on a blue sky and a white background will stand out far beyond what is normally seen. Special precautions must be taken when heating food to mitigate this issue. Even running vehicles in winter conditions can produce enough steam to expose their positions, along with the heat generated, and melted snow, exposing them. While it’s nice to sleep in a heated truck running all night, both the signature in thermals and the destruction of nearby snow might give you away.
Camouflage of command posts
Command posts done incorrectly vs correctly.
One of the realities of this war is that command posts are particularly fragile, a phenomenon not seen in most warfare previously. While command posts in the past were centralized networks, much of this has to be dispersed into smaller subsections, with everything from signals intelligence to the risk of groups being exposed to drone warfare. This may have caused many issues with both Russia and Ukraine, as they relied more on a centralized command system than other Western powers. That being said, it is very hard to get away from a command post in the military, as it is the nerve center of the unit and just as important as the brain; it is targeted equally by the enemy for that reason.
There are special characteristics of command posts that stand out far more than those of normal bivouacs, which tend to be more obvious nowadays. Many of the situations observed in the war closely paralleled those in World War II command posts. So let’s go over the special characteristics that exposed these command posts to excessive drone fire.
- Converging communication lines, such as wires and Roads
- concentration of vehicles
- heavy traffic, which causes widening of turns
- new access routes to a position which could house a command post
- protective wire and other barriers surrounding the installation
- Defensive weapons and placements around the installation
The camouflage techniques for command posts are very similar to those of a normal bivouac. What really changes is that much of the behavior around these camouflaged command posts needs to be tightly controlled so as not to draw attention to them. This means the normal drive to go to command or operate should be mitigated as much as possible, as most armies used to do. The downside is that most of the command structures that were once driven by wireless technology can be easily direction-found if enough time presents itself. This has caused several command posts to evaporate by cruise missile strikes and drone strikes alike. Another issue is that most of these command posts must be capable of continuous occupation, unlike those in a bivouac. Unfortunately, many of these command posts are exposed by laziness, along with the false safety of previously secure rear areas. That said, wires and travel should be done on already established roadways if possible. Both sides are now operating with wire-laying drones that dig up the earth and bury the wire, which protects that wire from easy attacks while not exposing soldiers to digging in drone-heavy areas. This drone activity disturbs the ground and prevents troops from paying close attention to the laid lines. This can make it easy for low-flying drones to detect your location.
https://x.com/TheDeadDistrict/status/1745859468456288498?s=20
Video of the Ukraine trench system, 2 meters deep
https://x.com/ianmiles/status/1795900647096676710?s=20
Russian bunker building
Another key problem exposed by command posts is that the drone makes much of the terrain feel and operate like open terrain. Sometimes you can’t conceal yourself sufficiently, even with proper camouflage techniques, in certain areas. Safety and concealment can be achieved far more effectively underground, and that is increasingly the case. While an open train back in World War 2, tents could be buried into the ground and then covered with another camouflage net to prevent easy exposure, both forces have now decided that digging deep offers both concealment and security from many of the attacks. What is seen is that many of these command posts are still being attacked due to a lack of discipline in traffic control and even vehicle control.
Command posts in urban areas
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/2002315243389895103?s=20
Buildings being attacked
Headquarters positions in urban areas still carry significant risk, but this can be mitigated by proper concealment and keeping activities to a minimum. When buildings are partially destroyed and debris is scattered about, camouflaging the area requires the jagged lines of destruction and broken timbers to stay congruent. What can cause issues is the major changes in the urban environment, especially for advancing enemy forces. While the home-field advantage may mean the enemy doesn’t notice small new structures or changes in the urban terrain, the converse is also true. Those defenders who were pushed out by flying drones can easily spot abnormal structures or changes in buildings. Another issue can be simple things like antenna farms that expose command posts. These should be dispersed and concealed as much as possible from the enemy. With a good RTO, you will be able to create functional antennas that hide from the urban terrain and allow wires to track back to the command post, preventing a straight signal target for the enemy. It is best if commands and decisions can be transmitted by runners moving away from the area and transmitting instructions if possible. Regardless of the command post’s ability to do so, all communication should be kept to a minimum or routed through hidden landlines, if possible.
Camouflage of supply points
https://x.com/ChallengerInUA/status/1998838362602406337?s=20
Drones attacking logistics
If Bivouacs were difficult and command posts were even more troubling, supply points are double that. There are a number of unique issues that supply points go above and beyond the other two. While a strike on a command post is important to the enemy, trying to cut your supplies may finish the war faster than shooting all the generals. One of the major things that people forget is that supply points vary in size from large concentrations to small stockpiles for small units just behind the front lines. What is most difficult to understand is that those large supply points are among the enemy’s most important targets and also among the most difficult to conceal. Vehicles and personnel must be able to transport supplies to and from these locations quickly, but this means many corners can be cut, and the continuous exposure from routed supplies can be devastating to your concealment and security. Balancing the redistribution and reloading of troops carries its own problems, so there must be a balance between having a point that is too large that has all the amenities needed and a supply point that is too small but easily concealed with very few supplies. This means it is important for personnel to consider decoy supply points far more often than many other positions. Recently used supply crates and materials can be partially repacked and used as decoy caches.
Just like everything else we have discussed, supply points should use natural cover and concealment when possible. It should be known that you should stack your supplies in a dispersed manner to minimize the damage from a single bomb. This has been a key point since WWII and now it is even more important today with small drones that have explosives. As before, using natural overhead cover is paramount, especially at supply depots, which require significant vehicle and personnel movement. One of the things told to supply officers during WWII was to use netting overhead to conceal the point. This is paramount nowadays for many reasons beyond just the concealment. Sufficient netting set up in a protective manner can not only conceal but also prevent much of the drone’s ability to observe or engage in the destruction of supplies. If jamming devices are in use in the area, it might be important to turn them off until the very last moments of the attack. If this is the case, netting of any kind may help slow drone engagement.
https://x.com/Blackrussiantv/status/1990836256536748273?s=20
Small Logistics drone Russian
Traffic control is probably the most critical thing for supply depots because of the ease of observation in transit logistics trains. Remember that even if you are in hostile terrain with very little foliage, those types of cliffs can be turned into a rather concealed stockpile of supplies. Boxes presented like a collapsed ridgeline and properly concealed might be visible from the air, but not easily recognizable by the drone operator. Unlike the GWOT era, logistics dispersion is still going to be the key that will mitigate the loss of your supplies. Also, supplies strewn along a parallel rock area carefully concealed with markings for individuals will allow traffic to go through and resupply without looking too abnormal. This might mean that you set up a supply point along a roadway and control when vehicles come and go from those supplies. Also, using the natural rocks and crevices can prevent strikes from destroying all of the supplies at once.
Supplies hidden in trenches
Another thing that has occurred during this conflict is the supplying of troops via unused earthworks. If you look on the Internet long enough, you will see Russian soldiers moving to and from abandoned trench lines with packs on their backs. These former trench lines might have been filled with supplies, as they did in World War II. Depending on the ground, the packaging, and rainfall, many of these trenches may stay dry, and the supplies can be hidden as if they were just wooden walking boards instead of the actual crates full of materials. Regardless of whether they are above ground or below, things like twine knitting will help camouflage the materials, but it is important that whatever camouflage you use does not form fit the supplies, just as you shouldn’t wear a boonie cap that accentuates your head without putting some kind of foliage on it. If using farmland to hide supplies, you must change the concealment of these supplies with the growth patterns of the nearby crops. Especially now, with drones flying over fields, this becomes far more difficult, but supplies can still be hidden if done properly, regardless of the growing season. That said, it is important that you don’t allow the farmer to disrupt your supplies.
Supplies hidden in crops with camo netting. Although not as safe now, this might give someone some better ideas.
Another deception process that was done back in the day was stocking supplies in the shape of buildings. Not only did this help conceal supplies, but many scraps of wooden boxes were used to repair homes in the area. While this may not fool a low-flying drone, it can be a way to create interesting decoys. The materials can also be used to protect windows from drones flying in, unlike the very obvious use of plywood to shut windows. Haystacks were also formed with netting to create what looked like your average farm supplies, but instead concealed a vast amount of war-fighting materials.
Haystack supply tent
Supplies hidden in a wooded area with natural plant material
Camouflage of medical installations in a division area
Even in WWII, the distinction of medical care was a precarious one at best. Depending on which area of the world you were fighting, red crosses may mean protection from enemy fire, or they just might make a more juicy target for the enemy to spot. Regardless, many Division-area medical facilities had to decide whether to disclose both casualties and positions to the enemy. This was left up to the command for the most part, but modern times have changed quite a bit of what we do medically. I don’t want to go into major detail or start pointing fingers at who did what when, but the reality is that both Ukrainians and Russians do attack medical facilities on a regular basis. Chances are, this wasn’t as malicious at the start for either side, but that is purely speculation and will be debated for decades to come. Regardless if one side forgoes the rules of warfare, things like mustard gas become prevalent on both sides.
WWII hidden medical facility and Triage system
As with previous camouflage information, medical facilities house both supplies, personnel, and logistics in a single location. If the enemy is ignoring the rules of warfare, it’s probably one of the juicier targets available. It also means that preventive medicine that might keep soldiers in the fight can be destroyed by the enemy, even if the hospital or medical outpost has no wounded from enemy fire. All of the previous concepts still apply to the medical facility, from careful selection of positions to ensuring the camouflage works with the environment. Another key aspect is similar to the bivouac, where total blackout must be achieved at night. Add to that, while a soldier might be able to survive a snowy blizzard, many casualties cannot sustain themselves in less-than-optimal weather conditions. This means, in addition to everything else we’ve discussed, you will have to mitigate thermal signatures. Vehicles and litter bearers must follow secure routes that conceal their movement while allowing the process of casualties in necessary work areas.
Initial contact with the casualty should be made inside a building, cave, or other shelter where necessary artificial light can be used without being visible from the outside. During WWII special lanterns in blackout boxes helped maintain blackout conditions. Well, modern lights can have covers installed and filters to reduce much of the light. Most medical practitioners will need full light to address the casualties’ needs. Once triage is complete, litter squads can move the more severely injured to the two critical aid facilities farther along the line of support. While walking wounded should be moved to other locations where they can be addressed. Things like small foxhole dugouts for prone patients who are not severely injured can be dug and concealed, temporarily protecting the casualty or even allowing walking wounded to rest while they wait for care. This has become a staple of the Ukrainian war, along with removable covers of natural material to conceal the casualties until pick up at certain locations by ground drones previously discussed.
Soldier resting in a concealed dugout waiting for treatment with covering removed
Collecting stations
Collection stations are a little bit different from those previously presented due to the hostile nature of the drone warfare period, while battalions would collect casualties and move them to areas that were as far forward as ambulances could safely operate during daylight hours. This has changed substantially. Modern Warfare dictates that most personnel movement must be done at night to protect both the casualty and the conveyance used to move them. As previously mentioned, using existing roads and concealed access routes draws far less attention to both the casualty collection points and the movement back towards a division-level of care. Many of these places can be set up with small dugouts, as previously stated, with a small team of semi-trained personnel assisting in the care of the casualties. Just as with bivouacs and command posts, road guides, roots, and even latrines must be established as casualties move up to higher levels of care.
Clearing stations
Once picked up from the collection stations, these clearing stations are more spacious and farther to the rear. This is where the ultimate decision of the wounded is made, and these are best located within towns if possible. These allow vehicles to move into buildings and evacuate casualties into a blackout area for proper triage. If this isn’t done in a village or city, substantial numbers of tents would have to be set up, which would be very detrimental to Modern Warfare. If, unfortunately, no fixed structures can be found, dispersing these clearing stations follows the same principles as your Bivouac and command posts.
Clearing Station Diagram
Medical vehicles
While casual care pickup might require many vehicles moving quickly to your clearing stations for treatment and onward movement to higher care, it is important that you disperse vehicles as quickly as possible. This means the movement of any vehicles should be as planned and as efficient as possible while operating. Unlike the previous generations of warfare, ambulances were treated with far more care by both the enemy and the friendly forces. The tables have turned. Night-time operations of any sort can be very difficult, and it is almost paramount to do so with casualty care, but this also means that forces must collect tarps and other items to conceal these vehicles both en route and while evacuating troops into the clearing stations.
I don’t want to delve too much into this because, realistically, multiple people are working on this topic, and the outdated knowledge base of previous wars doesn’t always give us a clear picture of what should be done. Much like the previous articles, much of this is speculation and may need to be transitioned to a different setup, given the existence of such intricate and easy-to-use reconnaissance platforms operating all over the place. Underground hospitals have been dug and used extensively by both sides, with long wait times for casualty care in general and delays of anywhere from 12 hours to days before proper treatment can be administered. Many have speculated and attempted to devise different techniques from history and Modern Warfare to create the perfect medical treatment system, but none of these will be easy to manage in an all-out war, much less an asymmetrical warfare situation. I wish I had more on this topic because it’s probably one of the most necessary to discuss and one of the hardest to address, especially given how current conflicts are going.
Defending the infrastructure of the warfighter from drones
I could spend hours on this subject and not even touch the tip of all the little tricks and failures that have been seen through all the videos. This probably won’t even touch all the tactics that actually work because most of those will never be seen by people outside the conflict for obvious reasons. However, I want to address some of the issues that come with sheltering, structures, and forests. One of the key issues that comes up with everyone is the need to go to the bathroom. While not expressly shown in any video, anyone who understands the decomposition of feces knows that it creates a heat source unlike that of urine. These heat sources must be hidden from aerial thermal imaging. Many people think thermals just see through everything, but the reality is that’s not true, and simple camouflage can help protect your latrine from becoming your final resting place. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but being snatched up by a T-rex, off a John in Jurassic Park seems like only a slightly worse way to die than being detonated by a HUK drone strike.
Another thing that has been prevalent is piss poor management of vehicles. This is probably one of the more major issues you’ll see in asymmetrical warfare, above all the others. Vehicles create mobility, and that mobility creates capability. However, those capabilities can expose what you’re doing if you park vehicles in an obvious place or at the wrong time when vehicles shouldn’t be in a select area. A car parked next to a judicial building at 2:00 AM is a lot more conspicuous than a vehicle parked there at business hours. This can be said for industrial complexes or even weirdly parked vehicles near forests. With that said, many vehicles have been moved into buildings that have been damaged or left abandoned, and those drivers seem to leave the doors open more often than not, allowing drones to fly right in, as previously shown. Having a recollection of how things were before you move into an area and ultimately concealing your vehicles will keep you alive longer than one might expect. Add to that, all parties in this war have decided that the roads are as dangerous to move on as crossing fields for good reason.
That said, we’ve talked about why staying on hardball roads can be very important. Root clearing should be done as often as possible to prevent things like drone mine laying, which has been a constant issue. Likewise, a lot of soldiers on both sides have died because their vehicles have tracked across open fields, such as farm lands, at odd angles for the express purpose of laying up for the evening or moving to a secure position. The fastest route is not always the smartest; however, many people throughout history have failed to recognize this. Not only has it caused more issues for both parties, as these newly tracked areas can easily be mined or ambushed by drone systems. There is a balancing act over whether having fixed roots is more detrimental or more secure. I believe the flexibility of paths is far more important than a strict, rigid plan, but the concepts of leaving obvious tracks must be kept in the back of everyone’s mind as well.
Buildings housing troops have also been an interesting development. While in the past, people had to fight their way into buildings to clear out the enemy, nowadays, drones are being sent in more often. Although many of these drones have harmlessly detonated in the buildings, other drones have packed enough explosives to literally level the same building. Three key factors should be considered when occupying any structure. The current condition of the structure, the ability to sufficiently use the structure for its intended purpose, and the ability to conceal both its purpose and the people inside. This seems like an obvious topic of conversation, but the reality is it isn’t that easy. Blown-out windows from previous fights and explosives may require boarding up to prevent the weather. Unfortunately, those newly fabricated boards expose you to the enemy, allowing the drone operator to spend more time inspecting the area. This means unsuspecting troops moving in and out of the building or poor light discipline could get multiple people killed all at once.
One old-fashioned technique was to drape blankets over the windows to conceal what was inside. I would not only do that, but I also think it should be important that we do that for both light pollution and protection from glass blowout on windows that are still intact. This may mean that observing the outside environment becomes more difficult, but there are ways to mitigate this as well, from loopholes built into walls to modern technology such as wired cameras. Whatever is done should fit the disposition of that building as well. Rubble moved away from previous explosions to create easy paths in and out of the building will point fingers at your position. Moving into buildings without roofs that allow drones to fly over and see you inside a building is also a poor decision compared to, say, a ditch nearby with debris in it. Many of the issues that come along with buildings have been convenience and comfort over safety and security. Again, we are seeing the worst of the worst being killed by drone warfare at their weakest moment. Many other units might be using and employing this kind of technique, but we will never see them because they are not being killed and displayed for propaganda purposes. I will say that Russia has been apparently bombing any structure they can, regardless, so the Ukrainians might be doing a very good job of hiding their presence.
Another tactic many forget is that these drones have a critical weakness: they are vulnerable to both foliage and tree branches, and to ropes, wire, and chicken wire. One of the most overlooked things produced is chicken wire, which can be painted and camouflaged and can prevent everything from hand grenades to drones from entering a specific area. This material can also be used to create very effective light camouflage over certain points, such as concealed underground entryways. It is easy to mold, bend, and structurally supportive enough to keep natural foliage in a shrub-like pattern. Add to that wires tying tree branches together, creating more clutter in the drone’s flight space and preventing drones from even getting near you can hide the road and help protect you. Ropes tied across open roadways, with pieces dangling down, can stop a drone from getting past that particular checkpoint while allowing men and vehicles to pass.
As shown in previous articles, you can wire an entire tree line to create concealment, which can also help mitigate the drone’s ability to fly into the woods, along with using random strings dangled from branches that are not easily seen. You don’t even have to use a full length of paracord to do this; you can use the internal strands dyed or painted a natural Gray color. Aerial drone combat has shown some drones flying strings above others to catch the propeller blades, so these drones can be taken back and repurposed. Forested areas and tree lines can have the same effect if done properly. This will force drones up over the tree line, allowing you to do more top-cover concealment and mitigating some of the capabilities of these drones, which can fly closer to the ground and lower than previously seen with larger systems. While not foolproof, decoy areas with traps randomly sprinkled throughout make the drone operators’ tasks even more difficult, and mapping an ever-changing environment without GPS forces them to work hard.
One of the major issues with the warfare in Ukraine is the lack of very sophisticated, high-cost technology in the Ukrainian army. Ukraine is using everything from Google Maps to Discord to fight a war. A lot of this technology and capability is extremely open source and public, which is risky for them. In general, many of these systems can be shut down, but it also means there is an easy way for them to bounce back, provided they have some form of internet connectivity that isn’t being jammed. Working with what they have and lacking the capability of GPS systems due to all the jamming makes tracking certain drone traps far more difficult, especially as the troops get more sophisticated and more capable. Having structural defenses, such as strings hanging to the ground that vehicles can drive through but drones can’t pass, randomly placed throughout areas, might be more advantageous than fenced-off tunnels for vehicles to pass through that the enemy can easily track and Recon. This has been seen because of all the fiber-optic wires strewn about, which can often be cut by the drone’s blades. Not every time do these wires snap cleanly, and sometimes the wire-guided drone they are trying to disable crashes to the ground. Thin strands of optical fiber strands could absolutely decimate a force of enemy drones coming to attack you if done properly. If not decimated, it may slow the enemy long enough for you to either mount a proper defense or evacuate the area.
Some of these practices have been observed in the ongoing war and in other hotspots around the world. However, things like supplies and the ability to set up this kind of trap might be far too dangerous for those in specific areas like Ukraine. It’s hard enough to go out into a tree line and not be spotted, but it can be even more difficult to climb a tree, tie a rope, throw it to another tree, and then dangle other strings off of it without being caught. Some of these techniques can be used by civilians just to protect their own natural areas from drones, but this can also affect allied drone technology as well, and that is a difficult topic to address in a proper manner. Regardless, think out of your box and realize the weakness of the small drones and the inability of the larger drones, even if they are stealth-capable, from getting into the weeds as closely as these small nimble HUK and bomber drones.
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About the Author: Patriotman
GUNS N GEAR
