Are Engineers Conducting EOD Missions?
Abstract
Operation Iraqi Freedom has found many U.S. Marine Corps units routinely locating suspected explosives, resulting in an unsafe situation in which leadership is unsure about what to do. Unfortunately, depending upon whom the units ask, they will be provided with a number of solutions as to how to properly handle these situations. These solutions have resulted in a community-wide disagreement on the mission and capabilities of the two most identified units to call: Marine Combat Engineers (CE) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Teams. The engineers say that handling these situations is within their capabilities and, thus, this is a mission that they can support. Conversely EOD says that dealing with explosives is solely within their realm and that CE are not authorized or trained to conduct such operations. Marine Corps doctrine is clear that the CE community is required to conduct IED and other munition clearing operations. While written doctrine can disprove every point made by EOD technicians that engineers are not capable of safely conducting IED and munition clearing operations, doctrine does not always equate to actual capability. Until such time that the engineer community either increases the training spent on explosives clearing procedures, or removes these requirements from their doctrinal mission, the clearing or disposing of the IED threat, caches, and UXO should be left to the trained experts in the EOD community.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 07, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA507324
Entities
People
- R. E. Scott
Organizations
- Marine Corps University