A shortage of Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts in Iraq means that engineers and infantry often end up tackling Improvised Explosive Devices themselves.
New equipment including tougher vehicles and simple ground robots make this possible, as I explain in an article in the April National Defense Magazine:
Armored vehicles originally designed to clear mines are used to sweep roads of bombs. Patrols travel inside the protective bubbles of sophisticated radio jammers that intercept the signals that detonate explosives. And engineers are refining the use of small ground robots to identify and destroy IEDs.
Read the entire article here.
– David Axe
UPDATE 9:49 AM: Noah here. As you can imagine, the guys who spend a year training to become bomb squad technicians aren’t exactly thrilled by the newbies who think they handle their jobs, just because of a few new toys. This isn’t just a matter of guarding turf (although there is some of that, for sure). There’s a pretty major safety issue involved here, too.
Quick example: a group of combat engineers near Baghdad were all fired up about their new, bomb-grabbing Buffalo armored vehicle, which they used to sift through roadside junk piles for IEDs. These guys would dig up an explosive with the Buffalo’s spindly claw. And then, they’d be so proud of what they found, they’d want to snap a quick picture of their prize. So they’d use the claw to bring the bomb right up to the Buffalo’s cab. And then, the IED would go off. A bad thing, of course. And the kind of thing that happens when folks aren’t properly trained in bomb-handling.
UPDATE 10:07 AM: Of course, being an EOD pro doesn’t make you bomb-proof. In an incident I barely missed, UK Captain Peter Norton lost a leg and part of an arm to an IED. Yesterday, he was awarded one of the British military’s highest honors, the George Cross. Only 21 others have received it since 1945. His citation reads, in part:
“Captain Norton was the second-in-command of the US Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell (CEXC) based in the outskirts of Baghdad. The unit has been in the forefront of counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) operations and is plays a vital role in the collection and analysis of weapons intelligence.
At 1917 hours on 24 July 2005, a three vehicle patrol from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 121st Regiment of the Georgia National Guard was attacked by a massive command initiated IED in the Al Bayaa district near Baghdad. The ensuing explosion resulted in the complete destruction of a ‘Humvee’ patrol vehicle and the deaths of four US personnel. Due to the significance of the attack, a team from CEXC, commanded by Captain Norton, was tasked immediately to the scene. On arrival, Captain Norton was faced with a scene of carnage and the inevitable confusion which is present in the aftermath of such an incident. He quickly took charge and ensured the safety of all the coalition forces present. A short while later he was briefed that a possible command wire had been spotted in the vicinity of the explosion site. With a complete understanding of the potential hazard to himself and knowing that the insurgents had used secondary devices before in the particularly dangerous part of Iraq, Captain Norton instructed his team and the US forces present in the area to remain with their vehicle while he alone went forward to confirm whether a command wire IED was present.
A short while later, an explosion occurred and Captain Norton sustained a traumatic amputation of his left leg and suffered serious blast and fragmentation injuries to his right leg, arms and lower abdomen. When his team came forward to render first aid, he was conscious, lucid and most concerned regarding their safety. He had correctly deduced that he had stepped on a victim operated IED and there was a high probability that further devices were present. Before allowing them to render first aid, he instructed his team on which areas were safe and where they could move. Despite having sustained grievous injuries he remained in command and coolly directed the follow-up actions. It is typical of the man that he ignored his injuries and regarded the safety of his men a paramount as they administered life saving first aid to him. It is of note that a further device was found less than ten metres away and rendered safe the following day. Captain Norton’s prescience and clear orders in the most difficult circumstances undoubtedly prevented further serious injury or loss of life.
(Big ups: JQP, LB)
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I know this has been talked about here before but while EOD is great it can sometimes take hours for someone to just show up and tell them weather it’s a bomb or not. Robots and even toys (As some of my friends I sent RC trucks to in Iraq have found) can help figure weather or not it’s likley to be a bomb. I have great stories of my RC cars being use to hit boxes and paper bags that turn out to be empty. I suspect that they saved hundreds and hundreds of man hours this way.
I would love to know what the true casualty rate is from people playing EOD. I understand that it is rough to wait on EOD, but it is better than getting yourself or your soldier killed or wounded. The problem with people playing EOD is idiot’s never die alone!
Stories about non-eod personnel (mostly engineers) trying their luck at disarming IEDs usually play out like Darwin Awards. But my personal opinion is let people do what they want as long as they only kill themself, could save and expensive eod soldier’s life.
First I would like to start off by expressing how disappointed I am that MILITARY.COM would be posting some of the information that it does. Discussing still classified information concerning our TTP’s (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) and insurgent TTP’s is mind boggling and irresponsible!
Second, I would like to explain that being in EOD encompasses MUCH more than the IED mission in the AOR (Area of Responsibility). Being trained to Render Safe Conventional Ordnance, WMD’s, Nukes, and working hand in hand with the Secret Service to provide protection to the US President are some of the other responsibilities that we have. The technical training eliminates approximately 66% of the people who attempt to become an EOD tech. So it is no wonder that the EOD community is disgusted at the suggestion that “Everyone is EOD”. It does not take a genius to drive a bomb bot down to and IED and detonate it. In fact, I am certain that a child who plays video games could do it better than most.
Lastly, it is true that EOD is stretched very thin at the time therefore I believe it is good for Engineers to obtain these new toys. AS LONG AS THEY DON’T OVERSTEP THEIR BOUNDS BOTH IN TECHNICAL CAPABILITY AND MAKING A CLAIM TO BE EOD! Engineers making daring choices as opposed to waiting for the professionals is a disservice to themselves and the others that they hurt/kill in the process.
I want to start this comment by saying that before I read the article I was completely appalled by the title. Let me make something very clear to all the “wish” I could be EOD people out there that are doing operations that they shouldnt be, NO ONE IS CONSIDERED EOD UNTIL THEY HAVE EARNED THE HIGHLY RESPECTED CRAB.
In the article it states that there is a shortage of EOD techs in Iraq. This is true because EOD training is much more complex than many other career fields, so of course we are going to be a little short on HIGHLY TRAINED TECHS. EOD technicians go through more training than anyone can imagine. Just because you see an IED on the road or have seen the movie
Why would someone who has not a clue about the workings of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) even consider attempting to approach it much less try to render it safe? That person would have to be a complete moron. Any attempt to neutralize the IED puts that individual and any who follow that individuals lead in jeopardy
My time in EOD was pre-robots and bomb suits. Probably because of this the number of folks that wanted to try our job or claim to be EOD was pretty small. However we did see it occasionally from the chemical folks in tech escort. Somehow they would occasionally get the idea that talking to an EOD operator was the same as being trained. This is much akin to the belief that having a drink with a Navy Diver qualifies you to strap on a MK16 and go for a swim.
However the folks wearing that crab today are as much advanced over what I knew as are the devices they are RSP’ng.
Just because you can shoot does not make you a sniper…same for EOD. It is a combination of training and having the right mind set to complete that training. It is a lot like BUDS (not physically) in that you had better measure up attitude wise or your gone.
Combat engineers have always done a great job with the explosives they are trained to handle and no one should take anything away from them.
One of the great humanitarian services provided by America is the demining training center operated by the U.S. Army Engineers.
I completely agree with comments about posting classified info…in my time they were called RSP’s but it sounds like some idiot posted the same type of thing. There is only one comment I can think of that is anywhere near appropriate, “Have you lost your f*cking mind?”
Oh yeah…these comments are of course my own opinion and if they pissed you off then we now have something in common.
Sincerely,
Will Pratt
I love that EOD is upset about this. EOD is above them selfs. Grag your gear and go out on a patrol. stop waiting to be called. we all know that your training is long and the military dosen’t like to waste money, so they send out CE out instend of you. These young kids are just trying to do the best job and come home alive.
EOD still rocks!!!! I call on EOD all the time. but we all take order’s and these units are just doing that.
remember this is a Leadership problem.
B12 sapper and up.
When I got my crab in 1967 things were a lot different than today but it still took someone with special qualities to get through EOD training. I saw many good soilders with the academic ability to pass but lacked the nerves it took to do the actual job. The military can lower the standards to recruite but the standards for EOD personnel Will only go up with todays technology.
Usually you only get one mistake in this job. It’s complete success or absolute failure and you have to have a complete and absolute trust in your team mates and thats what it takes to be EOD.
Swimmer, the article says there is a critical shortage of EOD technicians. What would be accomplished by having EOD ride out with regular patrols? While roadside bombs and ordnance finds aren’t rare, that doesn’t mean that every patrol finds some. Quite the contrary; only a tiny fraction of patrols find anything that would call for an EOD team. Having an EOD team with every patrol might feel like a great idea to you, but it would mean that the rest of the area has one less team to respond to areas where IEDs have been found. Put another team or two out with another patrol, and you may be completely denying EOD support to the rest of your area. I don’t know how many EOD teams there are in Iraq, but I’ll bet there are a lot more patrols out on a daily basis.
Your suggestion that EOD technicians grab their gear and roll out reflects frustration and impatience. Your enemy wants you to get frustrated, because when you start letting your impatience drive your decisions, you’re going to make mistakes that your enemy can exploit.
You suggest that your leadership is ordering people to play at being EOD. I advise you to do some homework and find out what the standing orders of your higher units are when it comes to suspicious items, roadside bombs, and ordnance. If your captain, LT, or sergeant orders you to do something that is against the standing orders of your battalion, brigade, division, or corps, that is an unlawful order.
We all want everyone to come home alive. If you’re frustrated with the EOD support you get, you can always try talking to them. If you understand how EOD response works, you might be able to find ways to speed things up from your end.
I was the medic assigned to the Platoon that was involved in the incident that CPT Norton was sent to investigate. The award and the citation directly reflect his heroic actions on that unforgetable day.
Hey they can do anything they want…. once.
hello
As a recently USN EOD (Ret)and as someone who was there in CEXC (03-04, 05) and knew Cap’n Pete. I can tell you that even EOD Techs are mortal (even really good ones). I think the real point is while actually placing a “drop charge” or other seemingly simple task to counter charge/disrupt/etc… is not rocket surgery, however the decisions that leads up to whatever TTP is performed is not done by rigid doctrine, or hap hazard decision…it is a result of the situation. A lot of these situations involve showing up on site only to be informed the scenario is 180 out, and your being sniped or rocketed while you recalibrate your initial plan and execute in about 30 sec. Would you use the same TTP’s in the US or some other AOR. Not if your EOD. Anyone can blow stuff up…try preventing something from blowing up that was designed specifically to do just that… Protection of PERSONEL and Property is the mission! Yes in that order. We all have our own jobs/responsibilities and they are all important and we are all special. I won’t do yours, don’t do mine. My $.02 Peace!
i was standing about 15 feet away from this captain when the bomb went off. altho he did do alot of what was stated in this story, it isnt exactly true. my team rendered first aid to him. i walked him up to the crater where the first ied went off and took the lives of 4 of my comrades.
SSG Saunders
B Co 2/121 Inf
There is not and has not been a shortage of EOD in OIF since 2006. The issue is training the force how to properly employ them. THe new EOD Modular Structure has not only been proven in Combat it has excelled. Now if we dont apply it to OEF soon we will see the same loss of life we saw in the first 3 years of OIF. Get a Clue OEF TF Troy worked use the model and stop trying to reinvent the wheel. And dont comment that its differant in OEF because of terrain and distance: thats Cra……….
Bottom line…if you need to clear a path to an objective and time is critical, engineers already on site are trained and equipped to approach in a heavily armored vehicle and drop a charge and then move on to the objective. They may still get blown up, but the armor and robots should minimize their casualties. If you want to defeat the enemy, EOD techs train 365 days a year at home and deployed to understand bombers, their TTPs and how to defeat/exploit their weapons. I wouldn't ask a basic EOD to handle an IED after months of initial training. Why would I ask an Engineer with a few weeks of familiarization? As EOD I don't pretend to know the intricacies of building bridges. Excel in what you're trained for to best accomplish the mission. Keep your people alive by realizing the limits of your expertise.
I became Navy EOD in 1969, yes before all the robots etc. It is unfortunate that we are short the trained personnel in combat areas. Even with an all vollunteer service there are not enough personnel having the physical and mental ability to get through EOD training. Without the draft there is no incentive for those above average personnel to enter the service. I know that about 90% of trained EOD are deployed overseas leaving the homeland somewhat unprotected. what is the answer I do not know. Thank God for the brave men entering EOD today.