Photo By Senior Airman Jessica Duch | A U.S. Air Force explosive ordnance disposal technician conducts a simulated hazard component separation during the fourteenth annual Audacious Warrior exercise, at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, July 20, 2026. Audacious Warrior is an annual exercise designed to convene explosive ordnance disposal technicians from various backgrounds to train on the latest EOD scenarios, enhance operational readiness, and exchange knowledge and techniques. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Jessica Duch) see less
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Audacious Warrior offers collaboration and continuous learning
U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians from seven states participated in the fourteenth annual Audacious Warrior exercise at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Camp Douglas, Wis. July 18-22.
The five-day exercise hosted by the 115th Fighter Wing covered the most up-to-date scenarios EOD Airmen may face during EOD response, including drones, guided missiles, tripwires and improvised explosive devices.
“This is the most consolidated and most permissible environment for us to get our hands-on training,” said Senior Master Sgt. Erich Sanford, 115th Fighter Wing EOD superintendent and exercise coordinator. “Our collective knowledge and threat environment change. We get to build training scenarios based off the latest iterations of what’s going on to make sure we’re able to handle whatever situations we come across,” said Sanford.
As an annual event, Sanford said the exercise routinely brings together airmen from varying backgrounds and experience levels, meaning each year is crucial for staying current in new skills and technologies.
Airman 1st Class Bradyn Miller, an EOD technician assigned to the Nebraska Air National Guard’s 155th Civil Engineer Squadron, attended the event for the first time this year and said exposure to other state’s EOD personnel has provided him training he can use upon returning to him home unit.
“The operations tempo is a little bit slower which is nice,” said Miller. “It’s good to see how other people work and it’s really good for meeting new people and making connections.”
One example of a valuable training in this year’s exercise included exposure to the L3Harris T7 Multi-Mission Robotics System, which is used for remote diffusion of explosive devices.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Benito Pacheco, another EOD technician assigned to the 155th Civil Engineer Squadron, also said the T7 training was beneficial for first time attendees.
“I didn’t get to touch the T7 until Team Leader School,” said Pacheco. “The fact that we’re doing a whole course tomorrow and letting the new guys get time on the T7’s is good.”
After his fourth time attending Audacious Warrior, Pacheco said repeat attendance allows him to continuously enhance his knowledge and skillset within his career field.
“This is a perishable skill,” said Pacheco. “If you feel like you’ve learned everything, you’re going to get complacent. We learn something new every year.”
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