Training prepares engineers for Afghan roads

Photo By Sgt. Jason Venturini | U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Dueitt, a combat engineer with the 287th Mobility Augmentation Company of the Mississippi National Guard, prepares a Talon Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robot to investigate a simulated improvised explosive device as part of the Route Reconnaissance Clearance Course-Sapper/blow in place class, June 15. The seven-day training event was designed to equip combat engineers assigned to 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

06.16.2010

Story by Spc. Jason Venturini 

Combined Joint Task Force 101

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The 539th Explosive Hazards Team conducted a seven-day Route Reconnaissance Clearance Course-Sapper/Blow In Place Class for combat engineers assigned to route clearance platoons throughout Afghanistan, June 10-16 here.

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

The R2C2-S/BIP class is a combination of three separate courses rolled into one. The course includes elements from the Explosive Ordnance Clearance Agent Course, the Route Reconnaissance Clearance Course-Sapper and the Blow in Place-Theater Specific Training course.

The EOCA and R2C2-S courses are normally taught at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. However, with the influx of route clearance personnel in Afghanistan, the mission required the training to be offered here to produce more qualified route clearance Soldiers, said U.S. Army Capt. Gregory T. Black, 539th EHT detachment commander.

“In this class, we start at the crawl phase, teaching them route clearance from the level of identifying markers and what to look for in their area of operations, and then work up from there,” Black continued.

The course 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.

“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 up an IED themselves and continue their mission is vital to their overall success.”

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.

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

“All the hazards they see here are taken straight off story boards and 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 have done this in the real world and make sure the students follow, because they know that this is life or death.”

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 through the training, said Purdy.

“I was already confident on the roads, now through this class, I feel even more ready for whatever the enemy throws at me,” said U.S. Cpl. Kyle Kothstein, a team leader with the 23rd Engineer Company, headquartered at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

• Date Taken: 06.16.2010
• Date Posted: 06.16.2010 08:57
• Story ID: 51463
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF