The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s (MEU) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) detachment, along with Combat Logistics Battalion 15, recently conducted improvised explosive device (IED) training with a percussion actuated neutralizer at Camp Pendleton.
Wearing protective suits, the teams worked together to investigate suspected IEDs and its internal components with the use of a portable x-ray device. In instances where it appears to be unsafe to approach an IED, the teams utilized the percussion actuated neutralizer, which uses various projectiles to eliminate the threat from a safe distance for the Marines.
The Marines said the training was essential due to the fact the majority of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan were due to IEDs.
“This type of training is effective because we get a lot of useful information about what we should do in different situations, and it allows for constructive criticism from other techs who may do things differently,” Staff Sgt. Ryan May, an EOD technician with the Combat Logistics Battalion, said. “This type of training is effective because we get a lot of useful information about what we should do in different situations, and it allows for constructive criticism from other techs who may do things differently.”
The Marines said the 15th MEU could not be the expeditionary force in readiness the nation requires without the self-sufficiency the Combat Logistics Battalion provides and are essential to the MEU’s ability to rapidly deploy forces where needed.