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FORT LIBERTY, N.C. – U.S. Army Airborne Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians supported Military Working Dog training on Fort Liberty, North Carolina.
EOD technicians from the 722nd Ordnance Company (EOD) trained with Military Working Dog teams from the 550th MWD Detachment.
Capt. Eugene E. Osborne, the commander of the 722nd EOD Company, said the training improved the readiness of the EOD paratroopers and Military Working Dog teams.
“The highlight of the training with the 550th MWD was being able to integrate interoperability of EOD paratroopers and K-9s and their handlers,” said Osborne. “The senior K-9 handler reached out to us to help facilitate training for two K-9 teams poised to move forward and support enduring missions overseas.”
Sgt. Martin E. Daniels, a Military Working Dog handler, served as the 550th MWD Detachment coordinator for the training.
“The goal behind this training was to give the experience to our EOD paratroopers of working alongside a dual-purpose ‘fur missile’ and to instill confidence in both parties of their capabilities,” said Osborne. “The type of training conducted was a simple area search that required the K-9 to rapidly clear an area and if the situation called for it, an EOD would move in to further investigate the scene.”
Osborne said the training helped not only the Military Working Dog unit redevelop its standard operating procedures for working together with EOD technicians but also helped his EOD paratroopers to further their knowledge on the capability of the Military Working Dog teams and how to implement them rapidly.
The training also helped the Military Working Dog handlers to understand some of the hazards that they could encounter and gave suggestions on how the handler could avoid them with the dog in lead, said Osborne.
This kind of training leads to stronger capabilities for both units, he added.
“We worked alongside three separate teams that were comprised of their handlers and a Belgian Malinois or a German Shepherd,” said Osborne. “K-9s have the opportunity to make our EOD paratroopers safer by providing standoff between our personnel and potential hazards by using their enhanced natural capabilities.”
As the U.S. Army’s explosive experts, EOD technicians confront and defeat the explosives designed to imperil troops and impede missions.
The U.S. military has approximately 1,600 Military Working Dogs that serve in every branch of the United States Armed Services.
These highly trained dogs not only provide paws on the ground but also support operations at sea and in the air. The U.S. Air Force’s 341st Training Squadron has been training the dogs since the 1950s.
EOD forces work alongside Military Working Dog units for a variety of missions from Defense Support to Civil Authorities and U.S. Secret Service support to enduring missions overseas.
The 722nd EOD Company is part of the 192nd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier deployable CBRNE formation.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s EOD technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams (Infrastructure).
American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
The 722nd EOD Company was activated in 2021 for the Afghanistan evacuation and the company was marshalled to perform an airborne assault. EOD techs from the company also support domestic response missions in North Carolina and the western portion of Virginia.
U.S. Army EOD companies on Fort Liberty, North Carolina, support the XVIII Airborne Corps and 82nd Airborne Division on the U.S. Army’s Immediate Response Force.
When assigned to the rotational Immediate Response Force mission, Army EOD techs have to stay ready to deploy within 18 hours.
Osborne said EOD technicians from the 722nd EOD Company have trained with counterparts from the United Kingdom, U.S. Army 18th Airborne Corps Field Artillery, 82nd Airborne Division and U.S. Army Special Forces units during the past two years.
“The 722nd EOD Company prides itself in our ability to find, formulate and execute training with units inside and outside Fort Liberty,” said Osborne. “We have a great relationship with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and continuously execute various training events that either involve airborne operations, fly-away missions or the standard ground movement to an objective.”
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.28.2024 14:43 |
| Story ID: | 464914 |
| Location: | FORT LIBERTY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 316 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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