Explosive Ordnance Disposal - EOD

We are the bomb squad for the military. Each branch has their own specialized forces, trained to respond to conventional ordnance, chemical, biological, or nuclear (pronounced new-klee-ur, not new-kyoo-lur) threats, and improvised explosive devices or, IEDs. The Navy further trains its EOD Technicians to respond to underwater ordnance (i.e., torpedoes, mines, etc.). They are given training in sophisiticated underwater diving equipment, as well as being qualified for parachute insertion, in order to reach remote locations on land or sea.

Operating in small, four to seven-man teams, Navy EOD teams are capable of operating independently of larger forces. They are often tasked to assist other government agencies in a support role (i.e., Secret Service, DEA, Customs, etc.).

Bomb disposal in the Unites States dates back to April of 1941. EOD developed as an outgrowth of the British experience with German ordnance. The British Royal Navy dismantled/recovered the first German magnetic mine on the mudflats at Sheburyness in 1939. The United States was not yet at war, but we were actively preparing for that eventuality. Embassy personnel and military observers were reporting on the actions of warring nations and as these reports were evaluated by the War Department Intelligence Section, recommendations were made concerning actions that should be taken by the U.S. One area stood out. Delayed-explosion bombs were creating havoc in Europe, taking a heavy toll in lives and industry. It was expected that if the U.S. entered the war, we would experience bombing of our cities and industries. As a result, the need for a bomb disposal program in this country received immediate attention.

Whether it's some 1,300 naval mines in the northern Persian Gulf that frustrated U.S. plans for an amphibious assault to liberate Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm...more than 100 million land mines "left over" from wars in 62 countries...an armed bomb "hung up" on an aircraft onboard an aircratf carrier...or a terrorist's "improvised explosive device" that threatens a U.S. Embassy, UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE - UXO - pose grave risks to military forces and civilians alike.

The job of "rendering safe" such threats - ensuring that UXO of whatever type, origin, or age is made harmless - falls to an elite group of specialists: Explosive Ordnance Disposal - EOD - Technicians. EOD people are in all branches  of the U.S. Armed Forces and many of the world's military. Only the U.S. EOD forces have the equipment, mobility, and flexibility to tackle the global spectrum of threats - from conventional ordnance to nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons - in all world environments.

Trained as Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians, divers (Navy only), demolition experts, and in some cases parachutists, these professionals guarantee the safety of people, ships, aircraft, installations, and operations wherever, whenever, and however they might be at risk from unexploded ordnance.

Whether based on shore or onboard a ship deployed to a crisis area, EOD Techs are trained and practiced in a vairety of speical mobility techinques...unique capabilities underscoring the reality behind the rhetoric of "expeditionary" operations.

From arctic snows, to equatorial jungles, to desert wastes, and to the depths of the world's seas, EOD Technicians - Those Who Dare - are trained and ready to clear the way! EOD is an integral element of the Nation's expeditionary forces. The skilled men and women of EOD give the operational commanders an effective, mobile, and flexible capability to support a wide variety of operational scenarios.

EOD - IT'S A BLAST!