Photo By Capt. Kevin Sandell | Capt. Wayne Richey (right) talks with candidates from the 3rd Brigade, 205th Afghan...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE AZZIZULAH, Afghanistan – The commander of the 760th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company met with six Afghan National Army EOD candidates here Wednesday to discuss plans for a joint training program where Afghan soldiers are taught the basics of counter-IED operations.
Capt. Wayne Richey spoke with the soldiers about the program’s curriculum, emphasizing that it would be a “crawl, walk, run” phased training where the soldiers progress from basic IED and unexploded ordnance drills to eventually having their own equipment and managing IED incidents in the future.
In order to be considered for the EOD school, the Afghan candidates had to pass a literacy test, which assessed their reading and writing capabilities. Passing candidates would then attend the next iteration of the class, which starts Sept. 22.
The EOD school is 21 weeks long, with the first part lasting over three and a half months. It is designed to progress students to a standard known as Level 4 EOD. At the completion of the first 13 weeks, students should be well-rounded in counter-IED operations. The last part, at eight weeks long, is the IED-Defeat training, which earns students the “IEDD 1” certification and eligibility to become an EOD team leader.
Richey reaffirmed coalition forces’ commitment to the important training program saying, “As we start to transfer authority and security to the [Afghan national security forces], a key enabler for them to maintain this security will be the ability to have trained individuals who disarm and mitigate explosive hazards.”
He continued by saying that EOD personnel are often seen as “confidence builders,” and the Afghan soldiers would say just the same of their counter-IED personnel.
Once the Afghan EOD teams are in place, they will be comprised of a three-man team and have the latest technology – such as robots, mine detectors, and bomb suits - just like their ISAF counterparts.
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2011 12:19 |
| Story ID: | 75790 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE AZZIZULAH, AF |
| Web Views: | 220 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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