RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - Explosive ordnance disposal Airmen assigned to the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron hosted Operation Deterrent Viking II at Baumholder Military Training Area, Germany, May 3–8, 2026. Operation Deterrent Viking brought together over 50 EOD technicians, strengthening EOD capabilities, from units across Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye; Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; Aviano Air Base, Italy; Cape Canaveral, Florida; and NATO Allies from Slovakia and Belgium.
The comprehensive training objectives of the event aimed to sharpen skills like unexploded ordnance identification and disposal, land navigation, casualty evacuation, controlled detonations, in addition to live counter-drone procedures for the first time during Deterrent Viking. EOD technicians worked through scenarios that involved performing defensive procedures while unmanned aircraft systems from simulated oppositional forces operated over participants.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Weston Cobb, 786th CES EOD quality assurance noncommissioned officer in charge, said the training event was built to replicate the full weight of a deployed environment. "Think of it as a complete deployment training event," Cobb said. "We're out with minimal tools, minimal equipment, minimal support, doing the same job in high risk, non-permissive environments."
Divided into ten teams, members ran operations simultaneously throughout the week before ending each day with a debrief, exchanging lessons learned, and refining tactics across units, partners and Allies. Event planners adjusted scenarios in real-time based on team performance, pulling directly from real-world reports to keep training relevant to the threats EOD forces face globally.
The Baumholder Military Training Area allowed for U.S. Airmen and Allied forces to be fully immersed in a simulated real world environment. This provided hands-on, large-scale experience of collaboration and team coordination sharpening proficiency downrange.
"A lot of our skills are perishable," said Senior Airman Kelsey Ockman, 786th Civil Engineer Squadron EOD team member. "Getting hands-on time with ordnance and improvised explosive devices - that's all very valuable time for us to train."
Cobb said beyond technical proficiency, Operation Deterrent Viking built the confidence that carries EOD technicians through their most demanding moments downrange.
"You can watch it from day one to day five and it just grows," Cobb said. "They get more confident, more courageous and they attack things from completely different angles than what they had previously because of the skills they gain here."
Training events like Operation Deterrent Viking ensure EOD forces remain ready to clear explosive threats and sustain the Air Force's ability to generate airpower in support of NATO commitments across the European theater.