Just a question. Each time I’ve looked it up, the FM’s say that the first principle for a fighting unit coming upon a contaminated area is AVOIDANCE.
Do you agree with that from your experience?
Yes and no. The doctrine was mission first but with caveats. For instance a nuclear strike requires the CBRNCOIC to plot contours of fallout based on wind vectors, estimated yield and terrain. Heavy on geometry and trig. Certain rad contours are acceptable if the mission is important. Others are not acceptable no matter the mission. But the mission in Africa is such that grunts and engineers should not have any contact with the locals whether they are diagnosed or not.