U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Soldiers deploy to Tunisia for African Lion

Photo By Staff Sgt. Amber Peck | Staff Sgt. Isaiah Vandunk, a Soldier with the 759th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), along with a member of the Moroccan Army, work together on counter improvised explosive devices during African Lion 22, June 22, 2022. AL22 is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner nation forces. AL22 is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck)  

BIZERTE, TUNISIA

07.27.2022

Story by Walter Ham  

20th CBRNE Command

BIZERTE, Tunisia – U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians recently deployed to Tunisia for Exercise African Lion in support of the Southern European Task Force-Africa.

Soldiers from the Fort Drum, New York-based 754th Ordnance Company (EOD) participated in U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual exercise.

The multinational exercise brought together troops from the United States, Brazil, Chad, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The joint task force exercise took place in Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia and included an airborne joint forcible entry operation, a combined live fire exercise, a maritime exercise, air operations and a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear exercise.

The 754th EOD Company “Yetis” are part of the 192nd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premiere all hazards command.

The Fort Drum, New York-based Explosive Ordnance Disposal company previously served downrange in support of the Special Operations Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria from December 2018 to September 2019. In support of civil authorities, the company also responds to military munitions discovered on and off post in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

U.S. Army Capt. Albert J. Volpe, the commanding officer of the 754th EOD Company, said his Soldiers directly supported the SETF-AF task force EOD cell in Tunisia during the exercise.

“Exercises like these help our Soldiers gain experience interacting with and training partner-nation EOD forces, building interoperability and developing shared understanding of CBRNE capabilities and limitations within future coalition efforts. Our unit also gained valuable experience mobilizing personnel and equipment across the globe,” said Volpe, a native of Hartford, Connecticut, who has previously deployed to Kuwait and Syria.

• Date Taken: 07.27.2022
• Date Posted: 07.27.2022 14:19
• Story ID: 425928
• Location: BIZERTE, TN
• Hometown: HARTFORD, CT, US