Define ‘danger close’ in artillery and its implications for fire control.

• A. Requires signature from the commanding officer for any fire.
• B. Indicates that friendly troops are near the impact area; requires heightened control and approval for fires.
• C. Means the fire mission should be conducted at max range.
• D. Means all fire control is handed off to infantry.

Answer: (B)

Danger close signals that friendly forces are in or very near the area where fire is planned, so the risk to own troops is high. Because of that proximity, the fire control team must exercise heightened control and obtain more stringent approvals before proceeding. In practice, this means ensuring exact target location and mission data, maintaining tight observer-to-fire coordination, and often requiring higher-level authorization and explicit abort criteria or risk-reduction measures. It’s about managing the increased danger to friendly forces and making sure every detail is double-checked before every round is fired. This is why the statement that describes nearby friendly troops and the need for heightened control and approval best fits the concept. The other options don’t reflect the risk-based, near-friendly-forces context that danger close implies, nor do they describe the necessary tightening of control and authorization.