FORT DRUM, N.Y. — The Improvised Explosive Device, or IED, is a well-known threat to service members operating in potentially hostile environments like Afghanistan and Iraq.
This weapon has inflicted a destructive toll since Operation Enduring Freedom, but 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) aims to combat this menace by teaching the Company Crew Specialist Course at Fort Drum’s Home Station Training Center. The course emphasizes the use of Soldier awareness and tech gear like the THOR III to defeat IEDs.
“1st Brigade is the most deployed combat unit in the world,” said course instructor Staff Sgt. Matthew Kiser, an electronic warfare specialist with 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team. “To be at that level requires us to move freely on the battlefield. Knowing you can stop an IED before you see it is a real confidence builder.”
