Non-Subscriber Extract
Urgent EDA study investigates CBRN IED responses
By Brooks Tigner
23 December 2008
European military planners experienced with operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are concerned that the improvised explosive device (IED) threat may evolve to encompass chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) payloads and have launched a study to investigate potential counters.
This calls for a different approach to explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) that places more emphasis on removal and neutralisation of the threat versus its destruction on-site, particularly if a CBRN-laden device is found in urban or densely populated settings. Safe containment and transport thus become key concerns.
The equipment needed to do this is the focus of a new research study commissioned by the European Defence Agency (EDA) on behalf of its 26 member nations. The defence ministries of all EU countries except Denmark belong to the agency.
The study will map what kinds of container systems are available or required for development to enable military specialists to contain IEDs carrying CBRN payloads. TNO, the Netherlands' national technical research institute in The Hague, is carrying out the research.
The study is an exceptionally short-term one, scheduled to last six months. This is due to the urgency of finding effective kit to handle the threat and because traditional IED disposal gear used by national armies is not uniformly suited to the task.