High Tech Training to Counter IEDs – Roadside Bombs

Afghan National Army soldiers from the 205th Kandak detonate an improvised explosive device discovered on a hillside in Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 29. The ANA soldiers found the IED while conducting a security patrol in the area.

BY ALEX COOK and BOBBIE O’BRIEN

The military members came from 45 different countries but all with one purpose – to find better ways to find and disarm IEDs, improvised explosive devices. The roadside bombs have claimed thousands of lives military and civilian in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. Central Command at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base hosted a conference for Counter IED Trainers this week. The focus was to teach soldiers how to think like the insurgents they will confront overseas.

Part of the training involved passing through a series of four trailers each detailing a unique aspect of IEDs like one trailer set up like a bomb makers’ shed.

The following video, shot and produced by WUSF intern Alex Cook, takes you through the four trailers for a taste of training on countering IED bomb blasts.

In the high-tech training, service members pass through a series of four trailers, each focused on a unique aspect of IEDs. They received briefings from virtual characters and participate in simulations meant to help them think like insurgents. The new training system is in use at 13 military bases around the country.