AIR FORCE EDUCATION TRAINING COMMAND BASE, Republic of Korea -- The Republic of Korea air force held a combined, joint improvised explosive device disposal training on May 18, 2016, at the ROKAF IED training center.
The training brought together EOD technicians from the U.S. and ROK to train on the disarming and disposal of IEDs.
The day’s events consisted of a demonstration by ROKAF EOD members, showcasing their tactics for responding to an IED terrorism situation.
“It was pretty exciting. They blew open a window and fast roped in and took care of a device,” said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Parrish, 8th Civil Engineer Squadron quality assurance NCO in charge.
Parrish gave a presentation to his ROK counterparts on tactics and techniques used to disarm IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After the presentation, ROK EOD technicians tested their skills by disposing of mock IEDs that EOD technicians from 51st Civil Engineer Squadron, U.S. Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and ROK military constructed.
“They have quite a few different procedures than we do,” said Parrish. “It was kind of neat to see how they adapted.”
The training concluded with an evaluation on how each team disposed of IEDs and lessons learned from each scenario.
“When it comes to EOD or IEDs, both the U.S. and Korea could actually collaborate together really well, as well as stick with our prime objective of protecting the lives and welfare of our citizens,” said ROKAF Chief Master Sgt. Sungien Cho, Air Training Command IED training center senior enlisted leader.