Clandestine Methods for the Determination of Beach Trafficability

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Clandestine Methods for the Determination of Beach Trafficability

S. A. Jenkins

Naval Special Warfare (NSW) units are assigned the mission of conducting reconnaissance of landing beaches in support of amphibious operations. This mission includes the determination of beach composition and trafficability available to various vehicles as they transit the beach and pass through beach exits. This report describes modern techniques, developed from soil mechanics, for determining beach trafficability. These techniques, compared to current NSW methods, require less training and shorter swimmer exposure times, and allow for a more simplified sampling, yet derive a more quantitative trafficability estimate with more repeatable results. This report recommends that these new measurement techniques be incorporated into NSW doctrine. Remote sensors for determining beach trafficability are also identified and addressed. While these methods are outside of NSW assets, they are valuable for the purpose of identifying candidate beaches before committing NSW personnel for final verification. Keywords: Computations; Aerial photographs.