US, Canadian EOD troops hold training exercise

Courtesy Photo | Army EOD troops from the Fort Drum, N.Y., based 725th EOD Company and the Canadian Army's 43rd Counter Improvised Explosive Device Squadron trained together for the first time.  

UNITED STATES

10.23.2014

Story by Walter Ham  

20th CBRNE Command

FORT DRUM, N.Y. - American and Canadian Explosive Ordnance Disposal troops trained to defeat explosive devices here at Fort Drum, New York.

U.S. Army EOD troops from the Fort Drum-based 725th EOD Company and the Canadian Army's 43rd Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) Squadron trained together for the first time.

The Canadian EOD troops came from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in Oromocto, New Brunswick Province, Canada.

Part of the 63rd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group, 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Explosives), the 725th EOD Company covers the northeastern United States. The 20th CBRNE Command trains and operates with joint, interagency and allied partners to counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), eliminate CBRNE hazards and defeat IEDs.

"This was the first time the 725th EOD Company participated in a joint training exercise with the Canadians," said the company's senior enlisted leader, 1st Sgt. Kieran Dollard.

Dollard said the teams covered 92 different realistic scenarios.

"The highlight of the training was seeing the unique ways each country goes about defeating IEDs at the operator-level, both different and highly successful methods," said Dollard, from Albany, New York. "We all felt as though we have learned from the experience."

Sgt. Roger Lalancette from the Canadian Army's 43rd CIED Squadron said the exercise was challenging and beneficial.

"This exercise was a very beneficial learning experience for everyone involved," said Lalancette. "With the change and advancement of the IED threat, being able to train with other countries with different experiences and a different way of looking at the situation can only strengthen our operators."

"It is critical to keep learning from other nation's experiences and to share our experience with them," said Lalancette.

• Date Taken: 10.23.2014
• Date Posted: 10.23.2014 17:16
• Story ID: 145905
• Location: US