Troops need to be situationally aware of the IED threat as well as well as skilled
in the use of their gear. A U.S. Marine, above, uses a mine detector at Marine Corps
Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., during a July 2010 exercise
called Enhanced Mojave Viper. Marines searched for mines, improvised explosive
devices and trip wires. The exercise aimed at preparation for Afghan deployment. 

The menace of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) may be the most demanding obstacle to current Western military operations. Improvised explosive devices are a daily fact of life in theaters of conflict, and are also widely employed by terrorist groups and individuals worldwide.  

Indeed, IEDs are the number one killer of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. In 2009, for example, 275 American troops died in IED attacks, representing more than 60 percent of the fatalities. The numbers keep trending upward. In the first four months of this year, by one estimate, roadside bomb incidents in Afghanistan increased 94 percent over the comparable period last year.

Furthermore, the IEDs have become more powerful. They often can defeat heavily protected vehicles. The devices are often made from simple and widely available materials from the Taliban supply chain – from wooden doors for booby-trap pressure plates to undetectable plastic components.

During the more sporadic Iraq insurgency, IEDs are often sophisticated versions of military munitions. Some recent homegrown terrorist incidents, such as the "underpants bomber" over Detroit on Christmas Day or the Times Square car-bombing attempt, also highlight the breadth of the menace. These devices demonstrate the variability of the challenges to homeland authorities and bomb-disposal teams.

Apt Render-Safe Procedures (RSPs) 

The basic tenets of countering IEDs include protecting the public, troops and EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) personnel, also known as IED disposal (IEDD) squads; gaining evidence against perpetrators; and uncovering the terrorist supply chain.

The process consists of high-risk searching for devices and then applying render-safe procedures (RSPs) and disposal.

The procedures are based on the experience of the operator; the environment and terrain, and the diagnostics showing the nature of the explosive charge. It also depends on whether the IED is unstable; on a timer; is connected to a detonator cord on a command wire to be fired from a distance; sports an antenna for radio-controlled or other methods of receiving a signal; contains fillers and shrapnel; or is booby-trapped, which represents the greatest danger to the bomb technician.

Since few IEDs are standard military ordnance, most devices are different. 

Technological Advances 

The bomb tech's current toolbox includes robots and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to seek out a device; to diagnose its contents, given suitable time; and then to disrupt it. This also allows EOD operatives, troops or members of the public to remain at a safe distance.

Diagnostic methods include X-ray as well as standoff and handheld detectors, including systems to detect and analyze not only the explosives and the components of the bomb, but also a possible CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) element. The specifics affect the render-safe procedures to be applied.

The robots used for ordnance disposal are among the most sophisticated in production. They begin with the "Wheelbarrow," which was invented by a British officer to handle car bombs at a safe distance during the Irish Revolutionary Army (IRA) campaign that lasted three decades in Northern Ireland. Robots, increasingly more capable, have been developed with have multipurpose platforms – including high-speed cameras, detectors and disruption tools.

American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan also use the PackBot, which has a manipulator system able to reach 2 meters in any direction, as well as rotating flippers that allow it to climb stairs and maneuver over rocks. Some lighter models are more mobile and capable of firing disruptors.

With offices in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., Allen-Vanguard has an inventory of counter-IED products that includes the BombTec Defender, geared towards car-bomb countermeasures . It features disruptors, cameras, electronic countermeasures (ECM), X-ray equipment and CBRN sensors.

Methods of Disruption 

Disruption devices include remote cutters to spin fuses out of IEDs and shaped charges to sever the connection safely between the detonation and the charge, which is the main task of most EOD operations. New products utilize shaped charges with lasers for extremely precise disruption.

Water disruptors are still widely used in ordnance disposal. This is another creation born during "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland, and specifically geared toward dealing with car bombs.

A state-of-the-art disruptor called the Boot Banger is dragged or pushed along a road – usually by a robot – and placed under a suspect vehicle. A controlled directional blast of a shaped charge of water within sheet explosive fires a vertically directed water jet to separate the means of initiation from the explosive charge before the IED has time to detonate.

Shells, bombs, mines and spare wheels can be ripped out of the vehicle without igniting it. Components or whole shells are thrown clear; they can be recovered intact and rendered safe, not only saving lives but also providing vital evidence.There are negative features: Short-delay devices do not allow enough time for this procedure; it may not be appropriate for very sensitive booby traps; and the initiation of a car bomb from afar can overcome its use.

It is tougher to deal with devices that have a suspected CBRN component. A decision to use disruptors or controlled explosions has to be balanced against the risk of puncturing the IED casing and releasing the contents. Moving such a device could release its contents. Or, if is booby-trapped, this could set it off. Ascertaining the contents can be accomplished by using chemical-weapons monitors, trace detection and non-intrusive analytical X-ray equipment. Most EOD robots have CBRN sensors.

A full-threat assessment based on intelligence is vital in ascertaining the nature of the danger, which may actually be of the non-explosive variety -- such as white-powder mail attacks. However, this complete assessment is often not available.  

Protecting the Force  

Force protection also depends on improving the blast-resistant properties of vehicles, and on mine-clearance vehicles such as the Husky Mounted Detection System (HMDS), which uses ground-penetrating radar on a manned, driver-dependent, blast-resistant vehicle.

The radar produces real-time, 3-D, high-resolution images of ground deviations caused by metal or plastic objects. This is vital given that non-metal components are increasingly used by the Taliban. Insurgents bury many IEDs in the ground, often in smaller bits and daisy-chain configurations. These may evade normal detection, but show up on the radar images on the Husky systems.

Accordingly, as noted in the Army Times late last month, the Army is just about doubling the number of NIITEK-produced Husky Mounted Detection Systems in the Afghan theater.

Dealing with Limitations  

Among the key factors that can hamper counter-IED technologies is the environment. EOD teams often are required to locate dispersed components, as well as secondary or multiple devices, and need to do this by hand in difficult terrain where robots or mine clearance vehicles are not suited.

There is an obvious need for the operational use of new C-IED technologies. However, robots and other EOD equipment must be tested by EOD teams. Such personnel often have the last say with new technology.

Another potential difficulty is the fact that robotic disruptors may be too slow for certain missions. Some of the machines involved are also primarily designed for urban operations. As a result, military bomb techs often find that they have to resort to a hands-on approach, particularly in the Afghan theater.

The main U.S. body focused on C-IED, the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), has spent at least $6 billion on jamming systems that will interfere with signals that set off radio-controlled devices. Yet altering tactics may defy these efforts, as the IRA discovered years ago. A change from radio-controlled mechanisms back to command wire or simple suicide missions may well defeat the jammers.

Moreover, equipment is only as good as its operators. All effective gear needs training packages. Without proper training, the kit will stay in the box – which has happened with some exported items. Training a bomb technician can take many months; the urgent need means courses are intensive. Because of the evolving range of military and civilian IED threats, operatives must have a high degree of intuitive skills -- the prime factor sought in psychometric testing.

Focus on the Target 

Dealing with IEDs on the ground is one goal. Yet, the overall aim is to prevent explosive devices from reaching their execution phase.

This involves the process referred to collectively as ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance). The employment of ISTAR activities aims at targeting the links in the supply chain of terrorists and insurgents, then shutting them down.

It's hardly a one-sided fight. The Taliban have the advantages of a difficult terrain and a vast unpoliced border. They also employ an informal monetary exchange system, making tracking much more difficult. The use of suicide bombers often makes it impossible to retrieve explosive components and crucial forensic evidence.

JIEDDO's training program, known as Tidal Sun, focuses in part on IED forensics: how to examine explosive signatures and traces and the post-detonation blast patterns to identify the source of the device's components and its creator. It also takes aim at the networks involved in placing the devices.

The organization's JLENS-RAID (Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor-Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment) is a blimp-based surveillance system. It works in conjunction with intelligence, including people on the ground, to spot anomalies and unusual activities.