UK and US Outline Strategy for Counter-IED Military Operations

Defense Professionals ^ | 01/08/2010 | Defense Professionals

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced this month that the UK government would be investing an extra £150 million (€167.61 million, $240.17 million) in countering the improvised explosive device (IED) threat to military operations in Afghanistan. This will include an additional £10 million being put towards buying 400 hand-held mine detectors on top of the £12 million allocated earlier this year for new explosive disposal robots. There are now 30 of these in operation in Afghanistan.

Brown also outlined a package of longer-term investment in counter-IED capability, which will include setting up a new base in the UK for training and military operations intelligence in this area.

The prime minister added that he had agreed with President Karzai that Afghanistan would help troops on military operations to detect and dismantle IEDs.

This will include Afghan Armed Forces being trained to detect and disable IEDs, more local police on the ground and better intelligence from local people about the source of IED attacks.

Afghans will be encouraged not to harbour those planning explosive attacks on British soldiers, President Karzai assured the British prime minister.

Military Operations To Take Offensive

IEDs remain a huge threat to military operations as well as the lives of troops in Afghanistan. Explosives were responsible for the deaths of 124 of the 239 UK personnel killed in the conflict since it began in October 2001. Most of these were IEDs.

Senior figures from the British military, coalition countries and the UK's Ministry of Defence scientists and engineers met in July this year for a conference to discuss strategy and tactics in countering the IED threat during military operations.