Improvised explosive device training conducted on Fort Bragg

By Reginald Rogers, ParaglideAugust 7, 2009

IED
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Soldiers who deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan are under the constant threat of having an improvised explosive device being detonated near their location.

The IED is the enemy's weapon of choice in that it uses the element of surprise to exact maximum damage to U.S. forces.

Now, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization has implemented a training program that will allow U.S. forces to overcome the threat and continue with the mission of fighting terrorism.

According to a JIEDDO newsletter, JIEDDO's initiative created or improved IED-specific training facilities, aides, tactics and documentation for over 50 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps home stations in just 16 months. This initiative came after recognizing that many units did not undergo counter-IED training at the beginning of their deployment cycle.

Fort Bragg is just one of the locations selected to host the training that will make Soldiers better aware of their surroundings during deployments. The training will also demonstrate the proper way to react to IEDs if the threat occurs.

Other locations include, but are not limited to, Fort Hood, Texas; the U.S. Navy's Point Mugu and China Lake facilities; the U.S. Air Force's Lackland and McGuire bases; and the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton, the newsletter said.

According to Lt. Col. Joe Maun, of the Counter IED Mobile assistance training team from Fort Irwin, Calif. and officer in charge of the training here, it is important for other units to know that the training is available to them and it won't cost them anything. Maun pointed out that one of the biggest issues that deterred units from looking into conducting this type of training is that it went against their budgets. This training is contracted through JIEDDO and will cost the units nothing.

Maun's team is one of two teams nationwide. He said they usually train units that have a short arrival date, but who will not go through one of the national training centers.

One of the first units to participate in the training here included the Soldiers of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, Co. A, 3rd Bn., 27th Field Artillery Regiment.

Maun said a lot of coordination goes into the training to make it more conducive to the unit involved.

"We sit down early with the commander to find out the level the unit is at," he explained. "We try to tailor it and make it theater-specific. This unit is going to Afghanistan. They're an artillery unit and they will be doing artillery missions in Afghanistan. So these are the vehicles they're going to be on as opposed to a lot of other training where they'll be in humvees."

Maun said his team of contractors are able to make the unit seem realistic, based on the latest tactics, techniques and procedures that the enemy is using in theater. If intelligence reports that Taliban fighters are using certain techniques, the training is adjusted to reflect such.

Maun also explained that the training includes providing the same type of training to additional units that will deploy together. He said the plan is to get all of the units that are expected to work together involved in the same type of training, based on their proposed footprint when they deploy.

"This unit had already planned to be here and conduct the training," Maun explained. "Where we can, we'll get other units, like military intelligence or battlefield surveillance units involved. We're primarily talking about getting other units that are part of their culminating event through the same training."

He said the training focuses on units that will not rotate to the various training centers, but still need the training before they deploy.

"We focus our attention on units that are not going to get a CTC (combat training center) rotation," he said. "Active Guard and Reserve that already know when they're going to deploy and they're going to be doing real-world missions either inside or outside the wire. In most cases, the units we're training are going to be doing either convoys, route-clearings or in this particular case, fire support, in support of the land owner." Landowner is the name given to the larger unit, usually a brigade combat team that oversees the entire operations for a particular area.

Maun added that the training is taken slowly to ensure that units are precise in looking for, or learning how, to react to IEDs. He pointed out that training may also be broken down to include several elements of a command.

"We can tailor and adjust our training based on the circumstances," he explained. "We have the individual task, the collective task and the battle staff task. We can tailor the battle staff training so that we find out from the unit that this unit is replacing or the area that they're going to be in, with real time intel analysis, so that here at Fort Bragg, that battalion staff, as they're getting ready to deploy, are going through exercises that virtually match, to the maps on the ground, the situation they're going into."

He pointed out that the information is classified to only those involved, but certain aspects can be scrubbed and incorporated into the training here.

"We're not just running them through a lane saying, 'Ok, react to an IED, let's see if you know what to do.' They're actually in a field training exercise, where an operations order was issued and now counter-IED training has been integrated into and actual training exercise," Maun said.

He added that the training also allows commanders to evaluate their units and get an assessment of what they need to improve before deploying.

The three-day training is given in three phases: crawl, walk and run.

In the crawl phase, the training is conducted in a classroom environment, where Soldiers learn what they should look for, how to react and what should be done afterwards. During the next day, Soldiers enter the walk phase in which they, literally, walk through the scenario and practice the lessons learned.

Then, on the third day, everything comes together in a live exercise, complete with pyrotechnics, and "terrorists," who fire blanks at the convoy from various locations. The Soldiers are evaluated on how they perform during this phase. They also conduct an after-action review to discuss any concerns.

"Today was pretty good," said Sgt. 1st Class James MacKillop, 1st Fire Platoon sergeant, after his platoon completed the training. "We've been doing it for the past three days, crawl, walk and run. This was our run day, going through the actual IED lanes. They've been teaching and instructing us on the proper techniques and procedures to take over the last two days."

MacKillop said it's important to involve every member of the platoon in the training so they will be familiar and know what to do during the deployment.

"The training was very beneficial to the platoon," said the Lancaster, N.H. native. "We've just been thrown together. We haven't been together that long. We were in our reset phase, we just got back from Afghanistan. This is all a matter of team-building."

The Soldiers who participated in the training agreed that it was beneficial to them.

"I think it was good training, the instructors were very knowledgeable," explained Spc. Ron Gilpin. "They definitely knew what they were teaching. It was a little different from what we usually do in the field. This was a change of pace. I definitely enjoyed the training."

For the instructors who provide the training, most are retired military members who take pride in continuing to serve in a different capacity.

"My motto since retiring in 2007 has been 'never stop serving,' so I looked for a job where I could stay connected with Soldiers and continue to assist Soldiers who are deploying," explained Richard Evans, a retired first sergeant. "I tell them when I'm in front of them training, take the training seriously and live so that you can come back and tell your story."