Countering IED tactics at JRTC

By Spc. Terence Ewings, 4th BCT PAO, 1st Cav. Div.June 14, 2010

FORT POLK, La. - Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, look on as Capt. Kevin Sill, an engineer assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, maneuvers a "PackBot FasTac" robotic system into position during a roboti...
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. - Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, look on as Capt. Kevin Sill, an engineer assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, maneuvers a "PackBot FasTac" robotic system into position during a roboti... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT POLK, La. - A "Talon IIIB" robotic system, driven by Soldiers assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, maneuvers up a set of stairs, June 8. The Fort Hood troops use this equipment during their robotics pre-rotational train...
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. - A "Talon IIIB" robotic system, driven by Soldiers assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, maneuvers up a set of stairs, June 8. The Fort Hood troops use this equipment during their robotics pre-rotational train... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT POLK, La. - A Soldier assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, uses the outdoor unit of a "Talon IIIB" to operate the robotic system during a pre-rotational class at the Joint Readiness Training Center, June 8. The troops a...
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. - A Soldier assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, uses the outdoor unit of a "Talon IIIB" to operate the robotic system during a pre-rotational class at the Joint Readiness Training Center, June 8. The troops a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT POLK, La. - Soldiers assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, prepped for their missions at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), here, through a series of pre-rotational classes.

The JRTC operations group offered the "Long Knives" a selection of classes focused on countering improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to ready the unit for hazards they could possibly face in combat.

Sgt. 1st Class Roger McIntire, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the IED Defeat Team, gave the troops an instructional class on how to identify the different types of homemade explosives and utilize this information to counter that hazardous threat.

"The counter-IED class is the corner stone of the whole pre-rotational training program," said McIntire, of Susanville, Calif. "We spend a lot of time and effort doing the research for the unit's theater of operations. We make sure (Soldiers) understand what the IED threat is, what they're going to be faced with when they get into country and how they can counter the threat."

Along with the instructional class, Soldiers got a hands-on exercise as they maneuvered the "PackBot FasTac" and "TalonIIIB" multi-mission robotic system that allow visual inspection and aid in the investigation of suspected roadside bombs.

"These systems provide maximum visibility, while minimizing the exposure to the Soldier in hazardous situations," said Capt. Kevin Sill, an engineer from Spartanburg, S.C., assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment. "This would be something my scouts and engineers could use on those long range patrols."

The troops are scheduled to continue pre-rotational classes throughout the week.