An EOD Technician examines a MK82 bomb prior to planning a Render Safe Procedure (RSP). Photo by Bill Cuneen, Army newspaper A Royal Solomon Islands Police EOD Technician and his RAMSI counter-part inspect a training device in Honiara.Photo by WO2 Gary Ramage, 1JPAU(P)

The job's a blast
Take a look at some of the Army's more explosive trades -
ECNs 432, 433, 434 and 435 - if you like a challenge




By Cpl Troy Hutchinson and Cpl Sean Burton
CHANCES are, if you ever come face to face with unexploded ordnance, you will need to call upon the Army's Combat Engineers, who will then deploy the highly skilled Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technicians.

EOD Technicians are responsible for the detection, identification, field evaluation, rendering safe, recovery and final disposal of unexploded ordnance.

EOD Technicians can render safe all foreign and domestic explosive munitions, including land service ordnance (landmines, rockets, grenades), airdropped weapons (sub-munitions, bombs, rockets) and guided weapons (surface-to-surface, surface-to-air, air-to-air, air-to-ground, long or short range).

Any of this ordnance may carry high explosive and/or a combination of chemical, biological, radiological and of which the qualified EOD Technician can deal with.

When asked about EOD training at the School of Military Engineering (SME) at Moorebank, about 30km southwest of Sydney, OC Specialist Engineering Wing (SEW), Maj Todd Heares said the training an EOD Technician receives at SME were world best practices.

"This is highlighted to me when I compare our course to similar courses in both the UK and US," he says.

"Our sappers are expected to perform to the highest possible standard in quite difficult and dangerous operational circumstances.

"As such, SME makes no apologies for the intensity of the training program or the high standards expected of trainees."
SME conducts one Explosive Ordnance Reconnaissance (EOR) and one EOD course every training year.

The EOR course is 27 training days duration and is the prerequisite for the EOD course.

The EOD course is 83 training days duration and qualifies successful candidates as an assistant supervisor in EOD.

The qualifications and pay levels for EOR and EOD are listed below:

Both the EOR and EOD courses are physically and mentally demanding.

Selected RAE officers may also undertake EOR and EOD training at SME, however, there are opportunities for training overseas with the UK and US also available.

Sgt Jeramie Faint, an instructor at EOD SME, said he gets a kick out of seeing those who pass the course, as it is fairly intensive.

"The hardest part of the course is when they do their scenarios. They are given a task and must complete it from go to woe," he says.

"They have unexploded ordnance (UXO) out there somewhere and they have to conduct a recon of it.

"In the final phases of the course they have to render the UXO safe, all the time maintaining the environment and ensuring personnel in the area are safe also."

Sgt Faint also spoke of his personal job satisfaction.

"As an EOD technician, to be given a task, going out there and being satisfied that you completed it properly as the UXO has not gone off," he says.

"I did a trip to Papua New Guinea where we had to deal with some old mortars and grenades from WW2 before the Prime Minister came over to open a memorial on the Kokoda trail.

"They were old and fairly unstable. The pins were missing out of a few of them and had to be destroyed because of the state they were in all rusted up."

EOD RAE is one of many wings within the corps.

SEW is also responsible for the Chemical Biological Radiation and Nuclear Defence (CBRND) Section, Arms, Explosive Search Dogs, and High Risk Engineer Search.

A significant part of employment as an EOD technician is in de-mining missions where they have received plaudits from international governments for their work.

De-mining activities have occurred in Namibia, Cambodia, Pakistan/Afghanistan, and Mozambique.

RAE EOD technicians were also involved in Op Falconer and Op Bastille.

RAE also assists in the training of overseas military engineers in mine clearing operations under the auspices of the South West Pacific mutual support program.

Domestically, EOD technicians have assisted in clearing numerous active and inactive military training areas of explosive ordnance.

When asked about the relevance of getting members of the EOD teams overseas, OC EOD/Search Phil Riley said it was very important.

"Working overseas gives soldiers the hands on experience and they can come back into a training environment and speak with credibility," he says.

SME also trains RAAF bomb-disposal personnel who attend both EOR and EOD courses and recently Navy clearance divers received chemical EOD training prior to deployment on Op Falconer.

The importance of the EOD trade was highlighted through the recent Federal Government announcement in relation to the deployment of specialists to investigate evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Sgt Gregory Pulson spoke of the areas of responsibility between the three services.

"Navy clearance divers look after any EOD below the high tide mark.

Army deals with everything above the high tidemark including creeks, rivers and dams and surface UXO. RAAF look after all UXO found on RAAF property," he says.

Potential EOD technicians need to be minimum rank Cpl, med class 1, colour perception 1, with a secret clearance and be successfully vetted by a psychological assessment to undertake EOD training.

EOD is an exciting and challenging specialist skill in combat engineering and those interested should contact their career manager.