Mobile Assault Platoon
Encyclopedia
Mobile Assault Platoon is a term used to describe a platoon
in a Mobile Assault Company, usually in the United States Marine Corps
in Iraq
, that patrol in humvees as opposed to by foot.
The benefits of the vehicles are speed and mobility. Unfortunately the vehicles are imposing and make it more difficult to interact with the local population.
MAP platoons are usually more heavily armed, since the humvee provides armored protection and allows for a powerful weapon (a heavy machine gun, for example) to be mounted on top of the vehicle.
MAP platoons, being vehicle-borne, are also susceptible to IED
s and are easy targets if their patrol routes become predictable.
Some MAP patrols use a combination of foot patrols and vehicle patrols depending on the volatility of the area.
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
in a Mobile Assault Company, usually in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, that patrol in humvees as opposed to by foot.
The benefits of the vehicles are speed and mobility. Unfortunately the vehicles are imposing and make it more difficult to interact with the local population.
MAP platoons are usually more heavily armed, since the humvee provides armored protection and allows for a powerful weapon (a heavy machine gun, for example) to be mounted on top of the vehicle.
MAP platoons, being vehicle-borne, are also susceptible to IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s and are easy targets if their patrol routes become predictable.
Some MAP patrols use a combination of foot patrols and vehicle patrols depending on the volatility of the area.