Non-Subscriber Extract
Report spotlights expanding threat of IEDs in Afghanistan and Iraq
26 July 2007
Threats from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan and Iraq are set to "increase, expand" and become more "sophisticated", according to an independent report published in July.
US-based Homeland Security Research's 'Global Counter-IED Markets and Technologies Forecast 2008 to 2012' stated that roadside bombs were becoming a "strategic problem" and said there was no real solution or response to this threat.
The report, which examined efforts by governments, militaries and the private sector to provide a solution or set of solutions to mitigate threats and damage caused by IEDs, said the counter-IED market was expected to grow by about 12 per cent between 2008 and 2012.
In the same period, the report stated that this growth would translate to USD23.2 billion, with an outlay of some USD28.5 billion, while unused IED expenditure was expected to fall by 21 per cent.
Highlighting the US Department of Defense's USD6.1 billion budget to counter IEDs between 2004 and 2006, as well as the Joint IED Defeat Organisation's (JIEDDO's) USD3.3 billion budget in 2005, the report said such investment had led to "impressive" technologies but had not translated into "significant success" in reducing casualties. It also said that IEDs were threatening to "nullify the technological superiority of major military powers".
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