IRIA News

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NATO allies and partners integrated efforts to plan and execute complex Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) detection, neutralization, and exploitation capabilities during Exercise Northern Challenge 2024 in Iceland.

Military units consisting of more than 300 participants from 17 NATO countries and partner nations, including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, the UK, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and New Zealand joined the Exercise Northern Challenge 2024 in Keflavik, Iceland.

The annual multinational exercise hosted by the Icelandic Coast Guard prepared NATO forces for international deployments to disrupt adversaries in conflict. The Northern Challenge 2024 prepared forces to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in both land and maritime environments.

The exercise is designed to improve the skills of EOD units by simulating complex, real-world scenarios that require detecting, neutralizing, and exploiting IEDs. Participants also worked within multinational exploitation cells that provided high-level intelligence analysis and supported counter-IED efforts through technological integration and information sharing based on NATO standards.

The U.S. Navy technicians from the EOD Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 also joined participants from NATO members and partner countries for the exercise from September 26 to October 9, 2024. The U.S. Navy Mobile Unit 8 assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 68, trained alongside tactical units from the U.S. Marine Corps’ 8th Engineer Support Battalion and U.S. Army’s 702nd and 720th Ordinance Companies.

The military units and technicians conducted about 500 IED-related tasks, including 380 land and 120 maritime operations. NATO forces utilized aerial drones to assess improvised explosive devices and conducted various clearance and disposal operations of improvised explosive devices during the exercise.

According to the U.S. Navy statement, “Throughout the exercise, two teams from EODMU 8 completed 50 training serials and provided four exercise control members who assessed and mentored other nations’ teams. During the exercise, EOD technicians responded to simulated IEDs threats of increasing complexity over a two-week period.”

Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Jake Ferguson said noted that the exercise provided an opportunity to NATO allies and partners to learn different tools and increase lethality on the battlefield.

“We’ve had some awesome training put on by our Icelandic and British partners; we’ve done a lot of both maritime and land-based IED serials that we’ve been able to defeat. We’re also turning in evidence, working with the exploitation cell to develop counter-IED tactics and reporting procedures,” Ferguson said.

EOD technicians from NATO countries collaborated within a multinational exploitation center to improve interoperability at the operational level. These cells ensured that EOD teams were organized to effectively counter IED threats while ensuring the intelligence analysis and information sharing were in accordance with NATO standards and procedures.

U.S. Navy EOD technicians from Expeditionary Exploitation Unit One (EXU-1) led the Combined Exploitation Laboratory in coordination with personnel from U.S. Army Force Europe (USAREUR) and NATO allies and partners. “Their mission throughout the exercise was to assist in processing and analyzing exploitable material collected from simulated explosive threats, analyze and consolidate the findings, then brief the overall threat environment and an assessment of next 24-48 hours, providing a tactical picture for stronger decision-making on the ground and better situational awareness,” the statement added.

An EOD officer, Lt. Ryan DuTot, who was assigned to EXU-1 and served as the exercise’s Combined Exploitation Laboratory office in charge, noted that “Northern Challenge 2024 is not just about defusing bombs; it’s about harnessing cutting-edge technology to outsmart adversaries and strengthen global security alliances.”

“The integration of technical exploitation into this exercise ensures we don’t just neutralize threats, but also gain critical intelligence from them. Any time we are working with partner nations in an environment like this, it’s a force multiplier that provides long-term strategic benefits,” DuTot added.

The exercise provided practical training to operators across the joint force and promoted collaboration between participating forces as well as the use of advanced technology to improve battlefield tactics and global security cooperation.