Should you ever deploy to a current (or former) combat zone, you may have to deal with mines or other explosives. Even if your military job is not a combat-oriented one, having a basic understanding of the anatomy and function of mines will go a long way toward keeping you and your allies safe.

In this guide, we'll review the uses, types and anatomy of mines, as well as the basic steps to disarming mines placed by friendly forces. Only explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts should attempt to disarm enemy mines.

Why Are Mines Used in War?

Mines have many tactical advantages that most other weapons can't offer. Most notably, they are powerful defensive weapons that, once set, don't require human operators. Mines can "stand guard" over an area 24/7 without getting tired or distracted.

Hidden mines can also be effective psychological weapons if the enemy knows they're present somewhere in the area; most soldiers are reluctant to cross minefields without a powerful need. Mines are also ideal for damaging or destroying vehicles, against which most other weapons would be less effective.

Finally, mines can be deployed to control enemy troop movements. Enemy ground forces will generally avoid minefields and take alternate routes if they can, along which friendly forces can set up ambushes ahead of time or otherwise funnel hostiles toward more tactically preferable locations.

Of course, there are significant risks and tactical disadvantages associated with mines, which we'll cover later in the "Mine Risks and Complications" section.

Mine Types and Anatomy

There are two broad categories of mines: anti-personnel and anti-tank. In terms of their basic structure and components, they tend to be very similar, but anti-tank mines have larger quantities of more powerful explosives designed to incapacitate heavy vehicles.

Most mines consist of an outer casing, a triggering mechanism, a fuse, a detonator, a booster charge and a main charge. Some mines also contain ball bearings, sharp metal fragments or other small items designed to cause additional trauma.

• The outer casing houses most of the other components.
• The triggering mechanism — be it a pressure plate, tripwire or radio receiver — releases a spring-loaded firing pin or electric charge when released, which, in turn, ignites a small explosive charge called a detonator. Particularly sophisticated mines may feature multiple triggers or anti-tampering mechanisms.
• The fuse (if present) acts as a time-delay, should the person who deployed the mine not want it to detonate right away.
• The detonator triggers a somewhat larger explosive called a booster charge.
• The booster charge triggers the main charge, which is typically incapable of being set off by the much smaller detonator charge.
• The main charge consists of a large amount of explosive material and is the primary mechanism by which the mine causes injury or death.

There are many subtypes of mines, but we'll cover only the six most common here: blast, stake, bounding, directional, flame and chemical.

• Blast mines are triggered by pressure plates, which are usually depressed when a person or animal steps on it. They are typically hidden under a thin layer of dirt, sand or foliage.
• Stake mines are set above ground and are most commonly triggered by tripwires. Unlike directional mines, they propel shrapnel in all directions.
• Bounding mines are concealed under surface debris and, once triggered, are propelled into the air by a small explosive before detonating at chest height. These mines are particularly devastating to personnel with respect to both damage and range.
• Directional mines, like stake mines, are set above ground and usually triggered by tripwires, but their explosions are focused in a certain direction. The area directly behind the mine is relatively safe.
• Flame and chemical mines release incendiary compounds or weaponized gases on detonation and can be triggered remotely or by a variety of other mechanisms.

Disarming Mines

Barring extremely desperate circumstances, you should never attempt to disarm a mine if you aren't trained to do so. The process varies across many different types of mines, but generally, disarming a mine involves reversing the steps taken to deploy it. However, mines may contain anti-tampering devices designed to trigger the explosion if standard disarming methods are attempted. If you aren't a qualified EOD specialist, attempt to disarm a mine only if you're the one who placed it or if there is truly no alternative (such cases are very rare).

If you notice signs of tampering or anything otherwise suspicious about a mine that you or your allies placed, leave the area and notify your superior or assigned EOD expert immediately.

Tactical Applications

Mines can be deployed either proactively or reactively — that is, either before or during enemy contact. Proactive deployment is almost always preferable; you can map and set mines more safely and more effectively when you have time and aren't being shot at.

Sometimes, though, setting mines ahead of time isn't possible. Even in the chaos of combat, mines can be used to great effect: to protect doorways, to disable enemy vehicles or to secure an under-defended area if you're short on personnel. Whenever possible, cover your allies while they're placing, moving or disarming mines so that they can work in relative safety.

Mines are most effective when they're concealed, but doing so entails increased risk. Ensure that your allies know where the mine is and won't accidentally trigger it. Also make sure that, if the mine is triggered by pressure, you know its weight threshold and that any debris you pile on top of it won't set it off.

Also bear in mind that once a mine is detonated or disarmed, the area it was protecting is no longer secure. In some cases, it may be less secure than it was before, if, for instance, the explosion destroys part of a wall. If you're in combat at the time, you may be forced to redeploy personnel or equipment, even if you'd prefer not to.

Always be sure to use the appropriate type of mine, especially with regard to anti-personnel versus anti-tank mines. Never use anti-tank mines against foot soldiers; these mines are unlikely to be triggered by the weight of a human, even one carrying a hundred pounds of equipment. If the mine does go off, the enormously powerful explosion is likely to injure or kill nearby allies, and this risk is especially high inside buildings or other enclosed spaces.

Similarly, anti-personnel mines are generally ineffective against vehicles. The heavier the vehicle, the less damage the mine will inflict, and it may not incapacitate the vehicle at all.

Mine Risks and Complications

Mines pose several significant risks, and not only to enemy forces. Catastrophic malfunctions in modern mines are extremely rare as long as you handle the mine properly, but such accidents aren't unheard of. Deployment and disarming mistakes can be fatal as well; mines are unforgiving when it comes to human error.

Mines also can't differentiate between enemies and friends (at least, not yet), so it's imperative that you and your allies communicate clearly with one another and ensure that everyone knows the locations of all friendly mines.

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) is another major risk associated with mines. In the chaos of war, soldiers often never get the chance to return to the battlefield and disarm their mines. Long-forgotten mines often remain active and deadly even decades later. To this day, parts of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan remain littered with active explosives that injure and kill civilians who unknowingly wander over them. Even some World War II-era mines and bombs remain undiscovered all over Europe and may still be dangerous.

Unfortunately, the questions of what to do about existing UXO and how to more effectively clean up after ourselves when we leave a war zone are complex ones, and we still don't have good answers. For now, all we can do is carefully weigh the tactical need to use mines against their long-term consequences and use other, less dangerous weapon systems when possible.

Mines are varied, highly dangerous and often complicated. Even if you aren't an EOD expert, you may one day find yourself needing to deal with mines in some way, so the more you can learn about them, the better. Basic knowledge and familiarity could one day save your life, or the lives of your squadmates.