Friendly fire isn't friendly

Submitted by Eric Daniel

Telling friend from foe is a difficult task at the best of times, at night it only gets harder. Even with the advent of night vision goggles, the task is only slightly easier (as Ben Franklin used to say, "Under NVGs all cats are green.") While there are a number of products available that will greatly facilitate telling friend from foe, one of the few that is publicly available is Scotchlite reflective tape and fabric. Manufactured by 3M, Scotchlite is the same reflective material used on modern safety equipment, and similar to the reflective material found now on commercial truck trailers (which is, surprise surprise, also manufactured by 3M.) In and of it self it reflects enough ambient light to be easily seen with NVGs, and when observed under direct light it appears to be a brilliant white.

The fabric I use comes in a roll 1 inch wide and 25 feet long, which is ample enough to mark up a regiment. How you use it is up to you. Remember, a little goes a long way. You can sew it directly to your uniform, or you can attach it to velcro, which will allow you to remove it when you don't want to use it. You can cut it to any length you want to, using it in strips or squares, according to what ever SOP your unit comes up with.

A word of caution though. This stuff loves direct light and should be used with care in high light (typically urban) environments, but when out in the boonies, it works just fine. The fabric itself is durable, does not fray easily, and is flexible and easy to sew. 3M does not do direct marketing, but you can get a local distributor by visiting the 3M website.

Buy 3M Reflective Tape

Comments

[adam coleman]

the marine corps issues reflective tape to all iraq troops that is solid black. the material is highly reflective to infrared light but not to normal light, so it can only be seen through nvg's. While its always good to be able to tell friend from foe, your bright white tape helps the enemy do this as well. ive seen army units with this tape on their helmets and cammies and its noticeable in the night without nvg's. this is extremely dangerous and poor thinking on the commanders part. Maybe Fire Discipline should be streesed more than making ourselves more visible.

[Eric Daniel]

The stuff you are referring to is manufactured by NVS and is not commercially available (it can only be had through government purchase.) All things considered, this I'd rather use the NVS stuff than the Scotchlite, but the NVS was not available and I couldn't get any one in my food chain to buy any. Yes, the Scotchlite is a light monster and must be used with care, but some form of identification is better than none I think.

[Eric Rath]

Though I understand the reasoning, I agree with Mr. Coleman's perspective. Excercising fire control is the best option. I am a retired Marine and cover and concealment was always a priority. The US military are not the only armed services in posession of NVG's and whether visible or infrared light dectable, it would seem you are making yourself a target by trying to not make yourself a target. Thanks gentlemen but I will stick with old Corps C&C tactics.

[Adrian Harrel]

I was an infantrymen with the 82nd ABN DIV and we used black ir tape all the time. It does not reflect light like crazy but can be seen easily through night vision. The Army makes pathces made out of it for the ACU uniform.

[Daniel Stinson]

Former Marine, current contractor worked in Iraq and Afghanistan extensively - just returned from a 6 month in Helmand Province.

The Brits use the 3M extensively - they even issue it. It does light up like a safety vest when hit with a flashlight or any light at night.

The black IR (glint tape) can be harder to come by, but is certainly preferred. Put it on uniform items, vehicles, etc.

Some of the easiest to get hands on are the IR flags backed by velcro for putting on uniforms, etc.

With such a multi-national effort in both countries - potential for Force on Force (Blue on Blue) is certainly a concern.

And yes the bad guys have NVG's too. All types.

Semper Fi
Stay Safe

[HWHITE USMC]

AS an old Marine and now an MP with the 413th MP Squad< I've had a few night-time antics myself. But the Cat-eye sticks out best when it's on top of your head! Just like in the old pirate days, these days of spys and Predator Planes see you best from ABOVE!

[Brennan]

Glint tape is to be used primarily for C.A.S.

[jason]

this shit is opsec, dude. you should delete this entry. your friends and family most likely can't buy this stuff off the shelves, but the hajis can read...

do your troops a favor and erase this.

fucking legs.

[jason]

plus, you just went semi-viral, so get rid of this shit.

[Robert]

ok, i see that obviosley yelling and swearing isnt going to get anywhere but make people angry. i dont understand why people under the age of 23 tend to swear and act like they have read and know everything there is to know. you have yet to reach that stage in your life, as the rest of us. so please if you thinkt that this man who has put this up is wrong, than tell him so in a polite discussion.

treat him with the respect he deserves.

[Michael]

I am inclined to agree with our vulgar young man however rude he may have sounded I was as well abit heated to see this thread posted & feel no reason to blame him !
A once popular slogan was "loose lips sink ships" ... although we are no longer running liberty ships across the ocean I am not sure it is wise to discuss trade secrets here at the possible expense of our fighting men & women.
That said ... Yes a well trained rifleman does not shoot at what he does not intend to kill & does not kill that which he cannot identify ... but I have seen my fair share of FNG's crack & fall far short of that catagory so something that makes his job easier may be warrented but I do not believe this product is the answer as it has as many downsides as it does ups ... Those in the field now will have to rely on thier own experience & judgement to find a viable solution & see that it is passed on to those that can use it in the future within thier units (outside of the public forum).
If this is being moderated as I assume it must be you have a second vote to drop this entire exchange & product as well from the site.

[SGTKinsella]

Two things:

First, I agree that this post should be taken down. Maybe it's not exactly OPSEC, but too much is being said about a something that should be a little more hush hush.

Second. Vulgar? I had to read the post being described as "Vulgar" three times before even noticing that it was "vulgar." These are posts about how to get the upper hand on killing people, but swearing isn't allowed. Explain that to me.

[VIKING23]

not to revive a dead thread, but it's all about visibility sop per unit. opsec issues are irrelevant, because this stuff has been in use since the mid90's and 2gen nvgs. this is not a new technology. our enemy knows how we operate, because we tend to do the same things over and over again. repeating it here isn't gonna sink a ship.

[J]

Having seen a few things yet not being ancient I have a different opinion. We aren't talking about anything new. 3M and the black tape have been around for some time and I am pretty sure they remember it from the first time we walked troops through the desert. That commanders do not remember this suggests that they don't pay attention to what those that came first have learned.

I personally used the 3M tape on the flight line because it lit up as well as the tape on the orange vest and could be added to the tactical gear during exercises so that if i needed to be seen I could. (HmmmV approaching lights out even by star light could see the 12 inch strips we had pinned to the underside of our Alice straps if we turned them over.) Also had the reflective tapes 3M made and we tagged SMALL pieces of blue on our helmets other squadrons used red and yellow the blue lit up nicely with out being bright enough to be seen from more than 100 feet clearly. Even with the reflective tape it was not a huge task to sneek up on the inattentive.

[Carl]

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