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houses or other buildings should be used. The squad leader should not routinely select obvious positions such as water towers or church steeples because those positions naturally attract the enemy’s attention. Figure A-67. Selection of an OP Location i. The Marine should be taught how to scan a target area from OPs or from fighting positions. Use of proper scanning techniques enables observers to quickly locate and identify targets. The Marine searches quickly without optics for obvious targets, using all of his/her senses to detect target signatures. If no targets are found and time permits, he/she makes a more detailed search (using binoculars, if available) of the terrain in the assigned sector using the 50-meter method. First, he/she searches a strip 50 meters deep from right to left. He/She then searches a strip from left to right that is farther out, overlapping the first strip. This process is continued until the entire sector has been searched. In the city core or core periphery where the observer is faced with multistory buildings, the overlapping sectors may extend up rather than out. j. Marines who guards OPs and other positions should employ target acquisition devices. These devices include binoculars, image intensification devices, and thermal sights. All of these devices can enhance the unit’s ability to detect and engage targets, especially at night or during periods of reduced visibility. k. Target acquisition techniques used at night are similar to those used during the day. At night, whether using daylight optics or the unaided eye, the observer should not look directly Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain A - 53