EOD support is provided during peace and war to US forces, allies, foreign partners, and Tribal, Federal, State, and local law enforcement. Examples of missions include:
Additionally, the U.S. Army is the Lead Agent and Head of Delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Counter Improvised Explosive Device and EOD Working Groups.[1]
History
Explosive Ordnance Disposal has existed in various forms since the invention of explosives and industrial warfare. However, modern EOD formations largely trace their lineage to World War II, most notably during the Battle of Britain. Heavy aerial bombing of the United Kingdom by the German Luftwaffe left behind hundreds of tons of unexploded ordnance (UXO), then referred to as unexploded bombs (UXB). The British formed bomb squads to address the threat. Bombs that simply failed to function as design (duds) were relatively easy to dispose of but bombs with more sophisticated fuzes posed unique threats. Those that had time-delay fuzes, fuzes with anti-tamper or anti-remove devices, or those that incorporated anti-handling features caused high casualties that required a more professionalized force.[7]
Recognizing this threat posed by UXO, the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps began sending volunteers to train on techniques at Melksham Royal Air Force (RAF) Station, Wiltshire, England, in 1940. Many of these volunteers were graduates of or would return to the US to attend the U.S. Naval Mine Disposal School at the Naval Gun Factory, Washington D.C. They would then form the first class of the newly established U.S. Bomb Disposal School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD.[8] By 1942, the first U.S. Army Bomb Disposal Units were organized and deployed to the European and PacificTheaters.[9] These companies, however, were deemed to be too immobile to address the workload, so they were further reconsolidated into seven-soldier squads.[10][11]
After WWII, the U.S. Army contracted, deactivating several bomb disposal units and converting a few to a reserve status. The remaining bomb disposal units were redesignated as "explosive ordnance disposal" in 1949. When the Korean War started in 1950, the U.S. Army faced an urgent need for an EOD capability. Unfortunately, there was a lack of personnel, training, and equipment that require a rapid correction and significant investment. Eventually, once training and equipment requirements were met, EOD squads were grown from seven-soldier to eight-soldier squads.[12]
The Korean War solidified the requirement for a standing U.S. Army EOD capability. The U.S. Army EOD mission was expanded in 1954 to include the mission to render-safe and dispose of nuclear weapons. Then in 1962, the mission was further expanded to include the disposal of chemical and biological munitions. However, those roles and responsibilities would diminish as many are currently shared with other U.S. military services and government agencies.[12][13][14][15]
The Vietnam War further increased demand for U.S. Army EOD Soldiers. The first EOD units were deployed in 1965 and remained through the duration of the war. The Vietnam War was considerably different than previous conflicts. The extraordinary use of munitions and the proliferation of booby traps, later called improvised explosive devices, created new challenges for EOD, requiring units to increase to 12-person detachments and ammunition battalion sections.[12] Despite this increase, there remained a shortage of available EOD personnel. At war's height in 1969, the U.S. had more than 540,000 military personnel in Vietnam, supported by less than 300 EOD personnel. However, despite this example, there was another post-war decline in EOD activity as the mission focused on peacetime emergency response calls.[12][16]
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, U.S. Army EOD units continued to provide peacetime support with moments punctuated by international conflict including Operation Desert Storm / Desert Shield, in 1990, the NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1995, and the NATO intervention in the Kosovo War, in 1999.[17][18][19] These conflicts were the first real test for the reorganized U.S. Army EOD formations. The scale and saturation of UXOs and the massive demolition of ammunition stockpiles challenged the formations and led to lessons learned that helped identify additional training and equipment requirements.[17][18][19]
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq dramatically changed and increased the demand for EOD forces. During the initial invasions, the U.S. Army EOD mission required the focus to be primarily on conventional operations, such as UXO mitigation and emergency ammunition destruction.[20][21] However, the mission focus quickly transitioned to address the asymmetric threat as counter-insurgency operations (COIN) began.[22] The U.S. invested heavily counter-IED (CIED) capabilities, including EOD. EOD units were expanded and equipped with increasingly sophisticated technologies as adversaries similarly improved their tactics, techniques, and procedures.[22] Mission sets began to transform with increased support to weapons technical intelligence collection and support to special forces operations.[22][23][24] However, the increased special operations forces demand came under scrutiny as some were concerned that EOD companies were not being properly trained and equipped to meet the special operations demands.[25] The most significant transformation was to the "modularization" of U.S. Army EOD formations. Starting in 2005, EOD units were realigned with Brigade Combat Teams (BCT), grown from 21-person detachments to 41-person companies, and new headquarters were established.[26][27] This transformation coincided with a general consolidation of forces aligned with recommendations made by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.[28] As part of those recommendations, EOD forces were consolidated onto fewer bases.
U.S. Army EOD downsized as part of the 2013 sequestration, inactivating several battalions headquarters and companies through 2016.[29][30] In 2017, the U.S. Army adopted multidomain operations as its operational concept for future transformation.[31][32][33] The limited scope of counter-insurgency and CIED operations allowed EOD leaders to focus on specific tasks. The challenge for EOD leaders now is to prepare forces for missions across domains and the competition continuum.[22] There are concerns that the U.S. lacks the required EOD force structure to meet all missions.[22] To address those concerns, the TRADOC Proponent Office - Explosive Ordnance Disposal (TPO-EOD) created, and the U.S. Army approved, the largest force design update (FDU) since 2006. The EOD Multidomain FDU (EOD MDO FDU) created new EOD unit types, added created EOD companies, and realigned current EOD units.[34]
Selection and training
Selection
Army Regulation 611-105 Selection, Training, and Suitability for Explosive Ordnance Disposal establishes the minimum requirements for EOD training:[5]
Enlisted candidates apply through a U.S. Army recruiter or retention NCO. Officer candidates are selected during their commissioning source's branching process.[5]
Training
US Army EOD training is completed in two phases:
EOD Phase 1 - US Army preparatory course at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. The course is approximately 7-weeks long and designed to prepare students for Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD). The training begins with a bomb suit suitability test, then is divided into five phases:[35]
Module
Description
Module A
Introduction, history, basic concepts
Module B
Introduction to demolitions, explosive tools, disarming techniques
Module C
Identification of ordnance, basic weapons functioning
Familiarization with chemical/biological weapons, effects, and decontamination
Radiological/Nuclear (RND)
Familiarization with chemical/biological weapons, effects, and decontamination
Graduation
Graduates of NAVSCOLEOD will have earned the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge. The badge is issued on a temporary status, individuals must remain in good standing for 18-months before the award becomes permanent.[5]
Additional training
Upon completion of EOD Phase 2, EOD Officers will attend a week-long course Platoon Leader's Course to be familiarized with essential duties.[35]
EOD Soldiers may be required to attend various other courses dependent on mission requirements, examples include: airborne, air assault, defensive driving, advanced marksmanship, advanced IED defeat (AIEDDs), and various other civil or joint schools.[35]
Team leader validation
Soldiers who lead an EOD must be validated by their leadership through a process called "Team Leader Validation." Team Leader Validation is a unit-led and administered program designed to ensure leaders have the requisite skills to operate independently.[35] Tasks vary between commands and mission sets, example tasks include: x-ray interpretation, vehicle-borne IED, CBRN incident response, and IED hand entry.[2]
Provides command and control for subordinate EOD organizations. Augments division and corps staff with subject matter experts. Facilitates all EOD tasks within assigned mission areas.
Provides command and control for subordinate EOD organizations. Augments corps, and theater staff with subject matter experts. Facilitates all EOD tasks within assigned mission areas.
Units
U.S. Army EOD has active duty and National Guard components. It comprises 3 EOD Groups (Brigade equivalent), 9 Battalions, and 52 Companies.
^ abUnited States Department of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force (17 March 2020). Inter-Service Responsibilities for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Army Regulation 75-14. Department of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abUnited States Department of the Army (17 December 2019). Policy for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Army Regulation 75-15. Washington D.C.: United States Department of the Army.
^ abcdUnited States Department of the Army (18 July 2017). 611-105 Selection, Training, and Suitability for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Army Regulation. Department of the Army.
^United States Department of the Army (12 May 2022). Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Operations. Army Techniques Publication 4-32. Washington D.C.: United States Army.
^Cosmas, Graham A (23 January 2015). MACV: The Joint Command in the Years of Withdrawal 1968-1973 (The United States Army in Vietnam). Center of Military History United States Army. ISBN978-1507678336.
^ abBauman, Robert F; Gawrych, George W.; Kretchik, Walter E. (23 May 2004). Armed Peacekeepers in Bosnia. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press (published 16 February 2012). pp. 95–106. ISBN978-1470093754.
^ abKosovo Mine Action Center (18 June 2024). Kosovo Mine Action Strategy 2025-2030 (in English, Albanian, and Serbian). Mine Action Center, Ministry of Defense, Republic of Kosovo. p. 2.
^Neumann, Brian; Mundey, Lisa; Mikolashek, Jon (6 March 2016). The United States Army in Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom March 2002 - April 2005. Department of the Army - Center for Military History (CMH). ISBN978-1944961220.
^Donnelly, Willilam (2007). Transforming an Army at War Designing the Modular Force 1991-2005. Washington D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army.
^United States Department of the Army. Modular Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations. Field Manual Interm (FMI) 4-30.50. Washington D.C.
^ abUnited States Department of the Army (January 2017). Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Group and Battalion Headquarters Operations. Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 4-32.1 (Change 1 ed.). Washington D.C.: United States Department of the Army (published 17 May 2017).
^ abcUnited States Department of the Army (February 2017). Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Company, Platoon, and Team Operations. Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 4-32.3 (Change 1 ed.). Washington D.C.: United States Department of the Army (published 28 April 2017).
