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| The 181st Transportation Battalion
recognized that long-range desert target identification would be one of
their most important skills, in that it was a preventative measure,
which would keep them out of situations where they would be outgunned.
After President George W. Bush declared victory on May 1, 2003, the
Combined Force Land Component Command entered a second phase of
operations – nation building. |
| The local resistance in Iraq responded by
attacking convoys with ambushes and improved explosive devices (IED's).
LTG Wallace had been right. Transportation Corps units, like their
predecessors during the Vietnam War, had become front-line troops.
The Transportation Corps units would develop a force protection concept
known as Tiger Teams. |
| The
genesis of the Tiger Team concept developed as the Road Warriors
grappled with challenges associated with the defense of the 200-plus
civilian contract trucks of the 702nd Transportation Company
(Provisional). As enemy attacks against these contractor vehicles
increased, the 181st decided to commit the newly assigned 2632nd
Transportation Company (Light Medium Truck) to convoy security duty.
The company was charged with building 30 gun trucks and provide command
and control of civilian convoys. Consequently, the 2632nd became
the “gun truck company” of the 181st Transportation Battalion.
As such, it supported convoys and provided mutual support to other units
in the battalion. When any unit was in need of mutual support, the
2632nd provided that support. This support included shortages in
other units due to maintenance problems, 5-ton shortages in the 629th
Transportation Company for the Sustainer Push mission, and whenever
there was a particularly dangerous mission. |
| The Tiger Team consisted to two
armored HMMWVs with an ARMOX produced armored box in the back. The
hardened HMMWVs usually had a ring mounted machinegun on the cab and a
couple of pedestal mounted machineguns in the armored box. The
purpose of the Tiger Team vehicles was to drive ahead of the convoy
searching for improvised explosive devices or signs of enemy ambush.
When approaching intersections, they blocked oncoming traffic so that
the convoy would pass unmolested. They also fell behind the convoy
to prevent host nation vehicles from intruding in the convoys and
shooting at the drivers. |
| This
year’s Transportation Corps print was inspired by an incident
involving a 2632nd convoy. The Tiger Team had entered the ASR
Milton/MSR Tampa interchange to block northbound traffic. The
convoy slowed to 5 to 20 miles per hour. The Tiger Team noticed an
unusual absence of civilians with the exception of two suspicious
motorcycles parked at the intersection. After half of the convoy
had cleared the intersection, Iraqis in civilian clothes fired on the
lead element of the convoy with AK-47s. Five to seven seconds
later the tail of the convoy also received small arms fire. The
lead and rear HMMWVs immediately laid down suppressive fire that allowed
the convoy to clear the intersection in a matter of minutes. The
convoy raced ahead; then the Tiger Team HMMWVs returned to investigate
the ambush area and were joined by the Tiger Team of a following 2632nd
convoy. The alertness and quick reaction of the Tiger Team quickly
turned the hostile situation around on the enemy, preventing all but
minor damage to only one host nation vehicle. |
| Learn
more about the 181st |
| Report Sources: |
| http://www.tc-regt-association.org/tiger_team.htm |
