Roughly half of all U.S. combat deaths in Iraq are the result of roadside and car bombs, usually some combination of 155mm artillery shells connected to a trip wire, timer or an electronic detonation device like a garage-door opener or cell phone. Recently, three soldiers were killed by a single blast in central Baghdad -- a car bomb that detonated near their convoy.

The military keeps a running but largely classified list of tactics, techniques and procedures on secure computer networks for troops to review. The list is constantly evolving, warning of new methods insurgents are using to hide bombs or set them off. But many soldiers and Marines don't check those computer messages often enough to keep up, explained Dick Bridges, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Joint IED Defeat Task Force.

The answer, then, is to push the potentially lifesaving information out to troops.

"Someone finally said it just makes common sense to make this unclassified and be spewing it out to soldiers," Bridge said.

On Wednesday the military will kick off the "5 and 25 Awareness" campaign, extolling 90 short safety tips from the classified tactics, techniques and procedures in ads in base newspapers -- even slipping them under plastic tablecloths in dining halls so troops see them while eating. One is as simple as reminding troops to turn on their Warlock IED jamming system.

Bridges said the task force considered but rejected the idea of playing cards with the TTPs -- an effective strategy for keeping the tips in front of troops who often play cards to pass time between missions and one that was used with success in 2003 to help them recognize former Iraqi regime leaders. However, the TTPs change too often to make playing cards a practical method. They would quickly become obsolete as the enemy changes tactics, Bridges told United Press International.

He credits British Maj. Gen. Mark Mans, the deputy commanding general of the Multinational Corps-Iraq, and two U.S. soldiers on the headquarters staff, Master Sgt. Riley Johnson and Staff Sgt. Ed Campodonico, with the idea for the awareness campaign.

The "5 and 25" campaign refers to procedures when a military convoy is temporarily stopped -- for instance, at a traffic stop. If it is a momentary halt, troops are reminded to closely survey a 5-meter diameter around the car for suspicious bundles; most IEDs have a kill zone of about 8 to 10 meters.

If stopped for more than a minute, troops are reminded to leave their vehicles and set up a defensive perimeter 25 meters around the convoy, sweeping the area for potential threats. At the first sign of a problem they are supposed to move out of the area quickly, Bridges said.

"That's the key," Bridges said.

Also lending themselves to the daily battle with IEDs are a small number of heavily armored vehicles built specifically for explosive-ordnance disposal work. One company, Force Protection Inc. of Charleston, S.C., has been producing Buffalo and Cougar armored vehicles.

The Army Corps of Engineers has been using the Buffalo mine-clearance vehicle for over a year in Iraq and Afghanistan. The massive, 23-ton vehicle -- based on a South African armored vehicle -- has a 30-foot arm and camera for inspecting potential mines and IEDs. When a Buffalo six-man crew confirms a mine or IED, they can roll right over it; the V-shaped armored undercarriage of the vehicle can take the blast.

The Buffalo has been used to clear nearly 6,000 miles of roads and has found more than 220 IEDs, according to Force Protection.

No U.S. troops have been killed in a Buffalo, and the worst injury sustained in a Buffalo has been a broken wrist. That occurred in March 2004 when the vehicle rolled over two stacked anti-tank mines. The vehicle drove away under its own power and was repaired locally. The Buffalo costs about $750,000 each. The Army has 37 with at least 13 more on order, according to Jeff Child, a Force Protection spokesman.

The Marine Corps has been using the Cougar Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicle in Iraq and Afghanistan and last week ordered 120 more. The vehicle can also be customized for troop transport, command and control, reconnaissance and as a lead convoy vehicle. There are two models -- one that seats four with equipment and one that seats up to 10 with equipment. They range in cost from $450,000 to $500,000 each.

The Joint IED Defeat Task Force is in the process of reviewing 38 technologies offered by industry to address the IED problem. The technologies address preventing them from being laid in the first place, detection, defeating and neutralizing them, and mitigating their effects if they do explode. The 38 ideas were winnowed from more than 818 that were offered. All will require further design and development, and the task force has $20 million earmarked for the months-long effort.

Bridges said they expected more responses but think the military did a thorough job of finding the existing off-the-shelf technologies that could be put to use.

"We're pretty good at grabbing the low-hanging fruit," he said.

(Please send comments to nationaldesk@upi.com.)