Joint EOD training at Dyess

by Senior Airman Peter Thompson
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

8/21/2014 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams from Dyess Air Force Base and Fort Hood, Texas, trained here Aug. 11-12 to increase knowledge and experience for home station and deployment operations.

During two days of training, Airmen from the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron EOD flight worked alongside U.S. Army Soldiers from the 75th Ordnance Disposal Company, 79th Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 71st Ordnance Group, to get hands-on experience with explosive hazards present on the B-1B Lancer and C-130J.

The Dyess EOD flight supports not only B-1 and C-130 aircraft stationed at Dyess, but to other parts of the base and local areas.

"We respond to suspicious packages on base and if requested, we can help the local police department," said Capt. Kurt Seidl, 7th CES EOD flight chief. "We have traveled around West Texas, as far as Midland and Brownwood. We also train with local bomb squads, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Department of Homeland Security and the United States Secret Service when requested."

Although EOD members from across the Department of Defense often deploy together, the Dyess EOD flight and 75th OD have separate robotics systems at their home stations. All EOD technicians attend the same school; however, each service has different roles they fill operationally.

While deployed, EOD Airmen face dynamic and ever-changing roles to protect DoD personnel and assets.

"We provide anything from flightline support to deployed operations with sister branches for every aspect of the counter-improvised explosive spectrum," Fleetwood said.

Soldiers from the 75th OD used Dyess' F6A robots in urban scenarios. After improvised suspicious packages were placed throughout an empty dorm building at Dyess AFB, teams would navigate the building, negotiate different methods of removing them and carry out the removal process.

Airmen used the 75th OD's Talon and PackBot on the base EOD range. The Talon and PackBot are commonly used in deployed operations as they are easier to maneuver and carry. Scenarios for maneuverability and problem solving were carried out to test the Airmen's ability to use the machines.

"Our Airmen were able to build valuable and life-saving experience through the training we did here, by working with robotic systems our EOD teams use in overseas operations," said Bryan Fleetwood, EOD flight support technician. "The benefits didn't stop there. They were able to build upon interpersonal communication skills necessary for successful mission accomplishment in a joint service environment."


The Dyess EOD flight is looking to the future and hopes to increase joint training and camaraderie with EOD teams from Fort Hood and other units in the region. In a tight-knit community like EOD, arrangements for training serve an additional purpose; they are also a reunion.

"We see a partnership like this as an opportunity for both the Air Force and Army to share our capabilities and facilities, expanding each service's level of experience, while molding everyone involved into well-rounded, competent EOD technicians," Fleetwood said. "As a result of joint training, we are afforded the opportunity to share stories, lessons learned and the changing trends in our career field with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry, of course."