Training empowers engineers in IED fight

Photo By Sgt. Jason Venturini | A Talon Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robot investigates simulated unexploded ordnance during Blow in Place-Theater Specific Training, Feb. 24. The robot is being operated by Staff Sgt. Mark Taylor, combat engineer with Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 3rd Sustainment Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. The four-day training event is designed to equip combat engineers assigned route clearance platoons in Afghanistan with the knowledge and capabilities to identify and destroy certain types of IEDs without the help of EOD personnel.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

02.25.2010

Story by Spc. Jason Venturini 

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — The 539th Explosive Hazards Team conducted a four-day Blow in Place-Theater Specific Training event for combat engineers assigned to route clearance platoons throughout Afghanistan, Feb. 22 through Feb. 25.

The training, hosted by Task Force Paladin, is designed to equip route clearance platoons with the knowledge and capabilities to identify and destroy certain types of improvised explosive devices without the help of explosive ordnance disposal personnel.

"This training gives combat engineers the experience they are going to need when they are out on route clearance missions," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sean Purdy, 539th EHT BIP-TST instructor and Springfield, Ill. native. "Their main mission is mobility, so having the skills to blow an IED themselves and continue their mission is vital to their overall success."

The course was first offered in Afghanistan in December 2009 and was created to help alleviate some of the strain on EOD units who do not have the resources to participate in every route clearance mission.

"EOD personnel can't be everywhere at once, so we are using this training to bridge the gap," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William M. Buckler, Jr., Joint Force Engineer Command commander. "These blow-in-place qualified Soldiers will be able to take care of the IEDs that don't merit EOD personnel, which allows us to place EOD at the more critical places on the battle field."

The students must have completed the Explosive Ordnance Clearance Agent Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., before taking part in this training, which acts as a refresher and expands on the threats found in Afghanistan.

"This training really enforces what we learned in EOCA," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Walsh, a student from Alpha Company, 173rd Special Troops Battalion, and Waterford, Mich. native. "What's great about this training is it's Afghan based and all about what we will see here."

Having route clearance platoons with the skills to clear an IED greatly reduces the impact on local traffic that often must wait for the road to be cleared of hazards, said Purdy.

"Having engineers on the roads who know what to look for and how to clear it really helps Afghanistan to be more fluid, allowing the locals to go where they need to go," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Leighton, Explosive Hazard Coordination Cell officer-in-charge, Joint Force Engineer Command.

Since the courses inception, 109 combat engineers have completed BIP-TST, with many more expected to participate in the coming months, said Leighton.

The training is customized with current data from the field on the ordnance and IEDs route clearance platoons will see in their specific area of operation.

"All the hazards they see here are taken straight off story boards and taken from what's happened recently on the roads," said Purdy. "We keep the training up-to-date and specific to the region of the country they are operating in."

A main focus of the training was the use of Talon EOD robots. The robots are used to investigate and place charges on an IED while the controller is a safe distance away.

Students and instructors treated the training as real life scenarios, understanding that people's lives are at stake.

"This training is as real as you can get without using real demolition," said Leighton. "The trainers we have have done this in the real world and make sure the students follow, because they know that this is life or death."

Through this training, the students, who already conduct daily missions on the roads of Afghanistan, will be better prepared and more confident against the threats they will face, said Purdy.

"This training is all about getting Soldiers with a certain skill set and training them up a little more so they can become an asset and a combat multiplier on the roads," said Buckler.

• Date Taken: 02.25.2010
• Date Posted: 02.26.2010 16:00
• Story ID: 45902
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF