VICENZA, Italy--Paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Italian army's Folgore Airborne Brigade took part in the inaugural residential counter-IED trainer course during a week-long training session in Longare, Italy, ending Sept. 3, 2015.
The purpose of the course is to train personnel to lead unit-level IED training. At the end of the course Soldiers are expected to have an understanding of how IEDs are deployed, how to identify potential IED sites, and the training, tactics and procedures required before, during and after an IED event. This is the first time the course has been offered as a residential course in Italy, usually Soldiers would must travel to Germany in order to be certified.
"Offering the course in Italy saves taxpayer money and allows our Soldiers to go home every night to their Families," said Kevin Shea, a contracted training integrator with the 173rd. "It also allows us to personalize and tailor this training for the needs of the 173rd specifically."
Senior Soldiers from the brigade have often served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they became familiar with IED warfare, but for troops who have joined the Army in the last two years, this knowledge may be unfamiliar.
The course begins with in-depth classroom instruction on IEDs, and then instruction on how to teach both classroom and practical portions of the basic counter-IED course.
"This is not only a course on how to counter the threat of IEDs, but also to train us to be able to take this information back to our units," said Spc. Mark Richardson, an infantryman with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Abn. Bde. "Learning how to conduct practical exercises and instruction ability is important so that we can make them more proficient in their jobs."
This course is also being used to forge closer relationships with the Italian army, while improving counter-IED capabilities and interoperability between the two forces.
"It's important for us to train together," said Italian army Capt. Cesare Scaglioni, an explosive ordinance staff officer with the 8th Airborne Combat Engineer Battalion, Folgore Abn. Bde, who attended the course. "We work together both inside and outside Italy, and it's important for us to standardize our operations and techniques in order to better understand each other."
The course is just the beginning of the brigade's enhanced counter-IED abilities. A new training facility is under construction on Caserma Del Din here, where the newly-minted trainers will be able to replicate realistic conditions for training with their paratroopers.
"We are building this capacity, training Soldiers with these important skills," said Shea. "A lot of people will benefit from it: commanders know that they'll have Soldiers with these skills and knowledge and will be ready to pass that knowledge on."
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the U.S. Army Contingency Force in Europe, providing ready forces anywhere in the U.S., European, Africa and Central Commands areas of responsibility within 18 hours.
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