Synopsis
NATO explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts are passing their skills on to fellow EOD soldiers in the Jordanian Armed Forces, enhancing their ability to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) both in Jordan and regionally. This is an entry-level programme, focusing on the fundamentals of counter-IED doctrine: finding and disarming explosives while collecting evidence to take down the bomb makers.
Trainers from five NATO nations (Germany, Hungary, Romania, Spain and the United States) have been dispatched from the NATO Counter-IED Centre of Excellence, based in Spain. They’re working together with trainers from the Irish Defence Forces. The course in Jordan is supported by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme.
The Basic IED Search and Clearance Course started in 2017 and will conclude at the end of 2018.
Footage includes shots of Jordanian counter-IED soldiers in bomb disposal suits searching for and neutralizing dummy IEDs; shots of explosions at normal speed and slow-motion; soundbites from US, Spanish and Hungarian instructors, as well as a Jordanian trainee.
Transcript
(00:00) VARIOUS WIDE SHOTS – TRAINING GROUNDS NEAR AMMAN, JORDAN
(00:11) VARIOUS MID SHOTS – JORDANIAN TRAINEE MARKING BOMB POSITION
(00:32) CLOSE-UP – TRAINEE WORKING
(00:44) CLOSE-UP – DUMMY EXPLOSIVE DEVICE
(00:48) CLOSE-UP – TRAINEE WORKING
(00:53) CLOSE-UP – METAL DETECTOR SWEEPING
(00:59) MID SHOT – TRAINEE ENTERING BUILDING THROUGH WINDOW
(01:10) CLOSE-UP – US INSTRUCTOR HELPING JORDANIAN TRAINEE
(01:15) MID SHOT – TRAINEE WALKING TOWARDS SITE
(01:20) MID SHOT – TRAINEE SEARCHING UNDER CAR
(01:28) VARIOUS MID SHOTS – TRAINEE WORKING
(02:00) VARIOUS MID SHOTS – TRAINEE SEARCHING FOR IED EVIDENCE
(02:16) VARIOUS SHOTS – NATO INSTRUCTORS TALKING WITH TRAINEES
(03:24) VARIOUS SHOTS – NATO INSTRUCTORS MAKING A DISPLACEMENT CHARGE TO MOVE AN IED
(03:37) VARIOUS SHOTS – TRAINEES SCREAMING IN ARABIC TO CLEAR THE AREA BEFORE A DETONATION
(03:54) VARIOUS SHOTS – DETONATIONS OF EXPLOSIVES
(04:03) SOUNDBITE – Maj César García Varela, C-IED INSTRUCTOR/SPANISH ARMY
“I’m Major Maj César García Varela. I am posted in the Counter-IED Centre of Excellence in Madrid, Spain and I am the action officer for the mobile training team which came deployed to the Jordanian Kingdom to deliver the basic IED search and clearance course.
“Ok, so the objective of the course is to let the Jordanian Armed Forces attend this, officers, NCOs, and enlisted, to learn about the different procedures and techniques used by NATO countries, so they can compare to their existing procedures at the time of disposing and searching for IEDs, and have a wider background when they need to use it in the future.
IEDs are dangerous, first because they are very easy to manufacture, so they are available for many people who want to target forces, or civilian personnel, and then because they are designed in such a way that they are made to fit, they are made for a target. So if a terrorist is watching over a civilian population or military personnel, and they learn what is their pattern of life, they can specifically design an IED to target them. I think for them it’s important because until now they don’t have a big experience dealing with IEDs, but because they are surrounded by conflicts, they are aware that this, at some stage, could become one of their problems. So they are willing to be proactive and to learn as soon as possible and as much as possible so that if [inaudible] they could react in a professional way to the IED threat.
It’s been an incredible experience. I am very happy to work with our Jordanian partners. They are willing to learn a lot, they are always asking questions, they are proactive. For me it has been a great experience. I would say that it’s the same for the rest of my team.
Working with NATO partners is both demanding, because we don’t necessarily share the same procedures, especially the tactical level, so we need to discuss and decide what is the procedure we want to be teaching to our Jordanian partners, but it is also very enriching because you can learn a lot of things from them. It’s one of the best experiences you could have, because there’s such a huge quantity of knowledge in the team that it’s always a win-win situation for us.”
(06:42) SOUNDBITE – SERGEANT FIRST CLASS SAMER, JORDANIAN C-IED TRAINEE
“Of course, because at any moment we can be exposed to a threat with the current situation in neighbouring countries. There are many explosions and many terrorists. So this situation requires us to know how to dispose of and secure all munitions and improvised explosive devices in order to protect our people and all citizens.”
“I benefited a lot from them. Each country has its own method and its way of working so if I adopt a specific method from each country, I believe that will help me to choose the most appropriate procedure to handle any incident that I might face, to make sure I am safe and the people around me are safe too, I can dispose of any improvised explosive devices.”
