Counter-IED Report Autumn 2019 - preview edition

ISSN 2050-6732 (Print) ISSN 2050-6740 (Online)

Counter-IED Report Autumn 2019

CONNECTING THE DOTS: THE PACE OF IED CLEARANCE SEEN AS KEY FACTOR TO SAFE RETURN OF 1.67 MILLION DISPLACED IRAQIS STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENTS, A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS “NATO WHITE-COATS”, DREAMS OF AN ALLIED-JOINT THEATRE EXPLOITATION CAPABILITY MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PERSON-BORNE IED CANINES DOGS-K9 STANDARDS & INTEGRATION WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXPLOSIVES SEARCH & TECHNOLOGIES SMART BFAS AND TIME CONTROLLED IGNITION PULWAMA IED ATTACK – A GAME CHANGER BACKUP RC SYSTEM SUICIDE BOMBER’S PBIED, SYRIA C-IED IN NATO ARTICLE-5 OPERATIONS: OLD WINE IN A NEW BOTTLE?

Rugged. Reliable. TALONÂŽ.

Since 2000, TALON robots have completed more than 80,000 counter-IED missions. Now on its fifth generation, TALON 5 is the first Interoperability Profile (IOP) fielded robotic system that has successfully gone through Army Test and Evaluation Command testing.

QinetiQ-NA.com/TALON Robots@QinetiQ-NA.com

REPORT CONTRIBUTORS

Counter-IED Report Published by Delta Business Media Limited 3rd floor, 207 Regent Street London, W1B 3HH United Kingdom

MEDIA PARTNERS

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7193 2303 info@deltabusinessmedia.com www.deltabusinessmedia.com www.counteriedreport.com

The opinions and views expressed in the editorial content in this report are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of any organisation with which they may be associated. Material in advertisements and promotional features may be considered to represent the views of the advertisers and promoters. The views and opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily express the views of the publisher. While every care has been taken in the preparation of the report, the publisher is not responsible for such opinions and views or for any inaccuracies in the articles.

Š 2019. The entire contents of this publication are protected by copyright.

Full details are available from the publisher. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

ISSN 2050-6732 (Print) ISSN 2050-6740 (Online)

counteriedreport.com

3

TaCTICAL FRONT LINE DETECTION Landmines, UXO, IEDs and deeply-buried caches... global issues addressed by world-class experts

®

•

Offers performance, durability, and portability for use in all soil environments.

•

Environmentally sealed. Fully waterproof to 3 meters.

•

5 search head options provide the flexibility to locate targets from small, low-metal content mines to large, deep UXO.

•

Custom packages available. Order your AML-750 to fit your specific needs.

® Made In USA

garrett.com Tel: 1.972.494.6151 800-234-6151

AML 750’s telescoping shaft adjusts for scanning in kneeling or prone positions. Searchcoil can also be quickly rotated into other orientations to scan walls or embankments.

Garrett CSI Pro-Pointer® AT

PN: 1140920

• Pinpoint evidence quickly with patented proportional audio/vibrate alarm or choose Stealth Mode (vibrate only).

• Fully waterproof to 10 feet.

• Includes holster and built-in LED flashlight.

• Fast Retune—Quick press instantly tunes out environment or narrows detection field for precise pinpointing of large targets.

MAXIMUM SENSITIVITY for detection of small buried targets or to scan suspicious packages for forbidden devices. Choose from three Sensitivity levels.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

IFC QINETIQ NORTH AMERICA 4 - 5 GARRETT METAL DETECTORS 7

ICOR TECHNOLOGY

9

DSA DETECTION

11

AUNAV BY EVERIS ADS

12

SCHONSTEDT INSTRUMENT COMPANY

13 FOREWORD

By Rob Hyde-Bales, Consulting Editor, Counter-IED Report 16

LOGOS IMAGING

16

DYNITEC GMBH

17

CONNECTING THE DOTS

23

24

By Dr Mark Wilkinson Ph.D., UNMAS (Iraq) Explosive Hazard Management Team Leader

25

STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENTS, A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

By Michael Solis, a former Deputy Director of the Africa C-IED Fusion Center at U.S. Africa Command, currently a Resident Program Manager in Kenya, working for the U.S. Department of State

6

THE PACE OF IED CLEARANCE SEEN AS KEY FACTOR TO SAFE RETURN OF 1.67 MILLION DISPLACED IRAQIS

L-3HARRIS SERIM RESEARCH CORPORATION

COUNTER-IED REPORT, Autumn 2019

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

32

MILIPOL PARIS 2019

33

“NATO WHITE-COATS”, DREAMS OF AN ALLIED-JOINT THEATRE EXPLOITATION CAPABILITY

By Lieutenant Colonel Jose M Rufas, Chief of Attack the Networks Branch, C-IED Centre of Excellence

40

41

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EXPO - ISE 2019

44

COUNTERING EXPLOSIVE THREAT AND DEMINING 2019

45

DOGS-K9 STANDARDS & INTEGRATION WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXPLOSIVES SEARCH & TECHNOLOGIES

47

SOF & WORLDWIDE OPERATIONS

MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PERSON-BORNE IED CANINES

By Donald Roberts, Detection Canine Program Manager, DHS Science and Technology Directorate

“WHERE WE WERE, WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE WANT TO BE”

By Jim Vernon (Snr) DESA Projects Manager/Lead IQA (Drugs & Explosives Search Association)

54 7th ANNUAL EOD/IED & COUNTERMINE SYMPOSIUM 60 8

EUROSATORY 2020

COUNTER-IED REPORT, Autumn 2019

TSK1000i Designed by a master Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician and chemical engineers to be the most comprehensive training kit for threat detection, the Inert Threat Screening Kit contains various types of inert knives, grenades, pipe bombs, firing circuits, dynamites, plastic explosives, low explosives, blasting caps, and other miscellaneous threat replicas, totaling over 60 items. The components allow instructors to continually build new inert devices for unlimited training scenarios.

X-RAY CORRECT

VISUALLY CORRECT

TACTILELY CORRECT

COMPLETELY SAFE

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

61

SMART BFAS AND TIME CONTROLLED IGNITION

By DynITEC GmbH

63

GCC FORENSICS CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2019

64 CBRNe SUMMIT ASIA 2019 65

PULWAMA IED ATTACK – A GAME CHANGER

By Colonel H R Naidu Gade - Indian Army Veteran

72

ISNR 2020

73

BACKUP RC SYSTEM SUICIDE BOMBER’S PBIED, SYRIA

By Chief Superintendent (ret.) Michael Cardash, Terrogence Senior CIED Analyst / Author of Mobius reports

84

DEFENSE & SECURITY 2019

85

C-IED IN NATO ARTICLE-5 OPERATIONS: OLD WINE IN A NEW BOTTLE?

By Lieutenant Colonel Jose M Rufas, Chief of Attack the Networks Branch, C-IED Centre of Excellence

89

CBRNe SUMMIT EUROPE 2020

90

CALL FOR PAPERS - COUNTER-IED REPORT

IBC C.E.I.A. SpA OBC SCANNA MSC LTD 10 COUNTER-IED REPORT, Autumn 2019

Be safe.

Be with us.

Remote control robots for explosive, CBRN and hazards disposal that help save lives.

17 years 7 models 16 countries leaders in the sector

aunav.NEXT

of operational robots

aunav.EOD

aunav.MEGA

using our robots

aunav.NEXT HD

aunav.CID

aunav.CID L

aunav.VAN

www.aunav.es

When Accuracy Really Counts Demining Professionals Count On

4 Models to Choose From

GA-52Cx

GA-72Cd

GA-72Cd-ML

Spot

UXO • MEC • ERW Ammunition • Bombs • Cluster Munitions • Grenade • Mortar Rounds • Weapons

THE WORLD OF SCHONSTEDT Over 60 Years, Over 350,000 Underground Locators Deployed Including over 500 through the Schonstedt Humanitarian Demining Initiative

Schonstedt.com Order/Info Hotline:

SHDI BUY A SCHONSTEDT SAVE A LIFE

FindUXO.com

800-999-8280 • Find Your Local Dealer: www.schonstedt.com

FOREWORD

FOREWORD

By Rob Hyde-Bales, Consulting Editor, Counter-IED Report

A

s we approach the end of 2019 it would appear there is some hope that the long running US war in Afghanistan may finally be reaching a conclusion after more than 18 years. It is a war in which the Improvised Explosive Device has been a defining lethal component throughout. Such hope is, however, predicated on the successful outcome of talks between the US and the Afghan Taliban. A current issue with the talks is that the Taliban are demanding the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan as a condition of an agreement. The US does not yet seem ready to commit to this. Continuing Taliban and ISIS attacks across Afghanistan, usually utilising IEDs, further complicate the situation. The conflict has continued relentlessly throughout the summer. On 17 August ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a wedding in Kabul that killed more than 60 guests and injured at least 180.

Such ISIS involvement demonstrates the growing international terrorist nature of the conflict. In July this year President Trump described Afghanistan as the “Harvard University of terrorism”. The fact is that the Taliban currently controls more of Afghanistan than it has at any time since being toppled from power in 2001. This conflict is the longest running war in which the US and other allied nations have participated and the overall statistics as outlined in a UK BBC report of 29 August 2019 make for very sombre reading. In 2011 the US military presence in Afghanistan peaked at some 110,000 troops and since the beginning of the conflict in 2001 they have suffered some 2,300

killed in action and more than 25,000 wounded. The UK armed forces’ death toll was some 450 killed in action and more than 600 seriously injured. For the Afghan security forces President Ghani has stated that they have suffered an estimated 45,000 killed since he assumed power in 2014. In all such conflicts it is invariably the civilian population who suffers the most and the UN estimates that some 32,000 civilians have died and more than 60,000 have been seriously injured as a result of the war since they began to record these statistics in 2009. The financial costs are stratospheric and a recent study in the US estimates that the overall costs to the US alone for this conflict approach one trillion US dollars. The overall costs to Afghanistan are incalculable.

After the war there is no doubt that Afghanistan will continue to need substantial international support to redevelop its ravaged economy and infrastructure and a key element in the process will be the clearance of land mines, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). However, it is not only Afghanistan that requires support in such clearance operations. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Mali and Nigeria, together with other nations all require similar support. In terms of these clearance operations such external support may come from the UN, foreign military forces, NGOs or commercial companies.

Each of these organisations has particular strengths and skills for differing situations. An article in this edition describes the very successful joint US-UK military partnership in the Counter-IED effort in Africa. counteriedreport.com

13

FOREWORD

In his highly topical article Dr Mark Wilkinson of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Iraq highlights the immense scale of the challenge to clear an area roughly one third the size of the UK of explosive hazards (EH). Such clearance is a critical factor to the return of more than 1.67 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) together with the economic and infrastructure regeneration of this war-ravaged nation. An ingenious approach to addressing this daunting problem devised by UNMAS Iraq is the development of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) focused on humanitarian EH clearance – primarily in residential areas. These RRTs normally comprise four team members, predominantly former Iraqi military personnel with previous requisite experience. They are configured to deploy anywhere in country with 24 hours’ notice and to remain in situ for 48 hours, specialising in spot tasks and highrisk search and disposal to international UN IEDD standards. To date this has proved to be a highly successful concept which utilises Iraqi rather than foreign staff, thus increasing national ownership of clearance operations with an associated reduction in the financial costs and higher maintenance needs of international organisations. The success of the RRT concept, both to date and in the future is a key component in the normalisation of life in post war Iraq and serves as a model for other nations facing similar problems.

Michael Solis, Counter-IED Deputy Branch Chief in US Africa Command in his most informative paper examines the importance of Strategic Engagements in the Counter-IED Campaign. He describes the Third Annual Africa C-IED Working Group held in Nairobi, Kenya in July of this year. For this event US Africa Command partnered with the UK Government and it was held for the first time at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi. It brought together over 100 delegates from some 26 nations with key representation from UN New York and UNMAS staffs from Libya, Mali, Somalia, and the African Union together with the Kenyan National Counter Terrorism Command. The key component of this event was the introduction of the new UN IEDD 14 COUNTER-IED REPORT, Autumn 2019

Standards based curriculum for Troop Contributing Nations to international missions. Throughout the event delegates were encouraged to consider the strategic environment and factors behind the continuing unrestricted use of IEDs rather than just concentrating on the effects and consequences of these weapons. Subject matter and briefings’ content were preceded by threat briefs or incident reports to set the scene against the wider strategic context. The presence of senior delegates from Kenya, the US and the UK together with maximum media coverage greatly assisted in broadcasting the message of Counter-IED coherence across a broad community of African partners, and to the wider international audience.

Jim Vernon – chairman and founder member of the UK based Drugs and Explosives Search Association – provides a most comprehensive article on the background and current situation pertaining to the use of search dogs in the global campaign against international crime and terrorism. He is ideally placed in this respect having been trained in military search techniques by the UK Royal Engineers in the early days of the long running conflict in Northern Ireland.

He chronicles past and current failings in the K9 CT search industry, both in terms of improper search procedures by global security companies and individual snake oil salesmen peddling pieces of worthless junk as bespoke explosives detectors. He points out that the genesis for current UK multi agency search procedures was the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton and the lethal destruction it caused during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference – almost assassinating the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He highlights the critical requirements to improve the current situation. These include effective training of the search dogs, and more importantly the dog handlers. As with the demining sector and the fully accredited International Mine Action Standards, there is an urgent need for similar standards in the K9 CT search industry. Fortunately, he is currently assisting in the production of such standards. He is an ideal champion to carry forward much needed improvements to K9 search TTPs.

FOREWORD

Donald Roberts of the US DHS Science and Technology Directorate contributes a highly relevant article, given the global security situation today, on the effectiveness of canines in the campaign against the Person Borne IED (PBIED). This has proved to be a devastating weapon for criminals, insurgents and terrorists as is demonstrated by current attacks in Afghanistan and other conflicts and recently in both the US and Europe. They are particularly lethal in attacks against soft targets – crowds and mass transit systems for example. The stand- off ability to identify and detect a PBIED is arguably the Holy Grail of explosives detection. He explains that canines are one of the best and most versatile mobile explosives detection tools in the quest to protect potential terrorist PBIED targets. He describes the S and T training regime – operational readiness tests and real time scenarios conducted in the canine’s working environment. This initiative started with a partnership between S and T and the University of Maryland Police Department. This has proved to be a most successful partnership and the UMPD Police Chief states, “PBIED canines are some of the best technology available today”. S and T is also working now with NATO, the US Pentagon and DHS to identify further possibilities for this invaluable tool against the PBIED – the highly mobile, effectively trained and versatile PBIED canine.

Lt Col Jose M Rufas of the NATO Counter-IED Centre in Madrid compellingly illustrates what he perceives to be the requirement for NATO to possess a deployable Joint Theatre Technical Exploitation Capability. He describes the current situation in this respect and the three levels of Technical Exploitation – Level 1 Field Exploitation, Level 2 Theatre Exploitation and Level 3 Out of Theatre Exploitation.

He opines the requirement for NATO for a Level 2 Theatre Exploitation deployable capability which should be adaptive, modular, scalable and flexible.

He describes the technical exploitation capabilities of the European Defence Agency, Australia, Canada, France, Sweden and the United States. He examines the various capabilities that he deems necessary for effective technical exploitation at the basic,

intermediate and advanced levels and he does this in terms of support to Counter-IED operations.

He further illustrates using chemical exploitation as an example, how this capability can be divided into sub-capabilities at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels. He concludes by suggesting that a future NATO technical exploitation project must be capability based on interoperable sub – capability blocks for a synergic and flexible solution. ■

Rob Hyde-Bales biography During his career in the UK Royal Engineers, Rob Hyde-Bales was responsible for landmine clearance in Libya and, more latterly, Afghanistan in the running of the first United Nations humanitarian landmine clearance training programme – Operation Salam. The programme trained Afghan male refugees in landmine clearance techniques, and Afghan women and children in mine awareness and avoidance training. More recently he set up the Caribbean Search Centre in Kingston, Jamaica. The Centre is designed to train security forces across the Caribbean in modern search techniques. After retiring from the army he joined Cranfield University at Shrivenham, near Oxford, and undertook a research project on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence that examined ways to improve the sharing of IED threat information between the military and civilian organisations in hazardous areas. counteriedreport.com

15

Energetische Materialien Energetic Materials Elektronische Zündsysteme Electronic Initiation Systems

DynITEC GmbH ● Kaiserstrabe 3 ● D-53840 Troisdorf Tel.: +49 2241 208 4465 ● Fax: +49 30 52004 1199 E-Mail: eod-ied@dynitec.com ● Internet: www.dynitec.com

16 COUNTER-IED REPORT, Autumn 2019

YOUR IGNITION TECHNOLOGY EXPERT

Zünd–und Anzündmittel Explosive Devices

INTRODUCING T4™, THE WORLD’S MOST CAPABLE MEDIUM-SIZED ROBOT L3Harris’ T4 robotic system provides unmatched capabilities in a compact, rugged package. It combines reach, strength, intuitive control and robustness to deliver uncompromised performance anywhere – even the harshest of environments. T4’s cutting-edge intuitive motion control and haptic feedback interface make operating the robot as natural as moving one’s hand, enabling operators to quickly access, inspect and defeat hazardous threats. Rapidly reconfigurable, the versatile T4 robot evolves with your changing mission requirements. T4 is a highly mobile system with the flexible design, superior strength and human-like precision to deliver unparalleled all-terrain, all-weather performance when it matters most. Our robots go into harm’s way so you don’t have to.

Learn more at L3Harris.com/T4.

Discern HME Detection ®

THE WARRIOR’S KIT FEATURES

CALL FOR PAPERS COUNTER-IED REPORT

Counter-IED Report editorial team would like to invite government bodies, army personnel, researchers, industry experts to contribute their articles, case studies, white papers to the report.

We are looking for theoretical and practice based non-promotional editorial contributions.*

• ONE step test • Results in ONE minute • No hazardous/ corrosive liquids required • Use with solid or liquid samples • Safer handling through desensitized samples

Winter 2019/20 edition deadlines:

• 36 month shelf life

Spring/Summer 2020 edition deadlines:

Abstract submission: 11 November 2019 Full article submission deadline: 13 December 2019

Abstract submission: 19 February 2020 Full article submission deadline: 30 March 2020 Autumn 2019 edition deadlines:

ONE STEP TEST identifies and distinguishes compounds used in Home Made Explosives (HME):

FERTILIZER, PEROXIDE, CHLORATE AND PERCHLORATE For more information, visit www.DiscernHME.com or call 800-542-4670

©2017 Serim Research Corp.

MKT 16-37 IABTIad R12/17

24 COUNTER-IED REPORT, Autumn 2019

Abstract submission: 22 July 2020 Full article submission deadline: 9 September 2020 All enquiries and articles should be submitted by email to: editorial@deltabusinessmedia.com *Fees apply for publication of articles submitted by commercial and forprofit organisations. All articles are subject to editor’s approval.

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe to Counter-IED Report magazine and bi-monthly e-newsletter at: www.counteriedreport.com/subscribe1/

High Performance, DR and CR X-ray systems from a name you can trust.. with x-ray generators you know and trust.

SCANSILC EOD - DR X-RAY • Lightweight intelligent x-ray panels in 10 x 12” and 14 x 17” formats.

• Impact and drop tested to over 1m. Dirt and water resistant to IP67 • No extra interface box or splitter required - unlike competitive systems • Solid state, no moving parts and load resistant to 170 kgs

SCANX SCOUT - CR X-RAY A must in every bomb truck!

• Multi- size x-ray electronic free x-ray plates • Wire free and flexible for tight access applications.

• Ground level imaging - no dead zone • X-ray Multiple image plates in a single exposure. XTK software stitches your x-ray images together.

• Digital processor scans plates up to 130 cm long

All operating with the new Golden XR range of pulsed x-ray generators.

• Now with new higher performance Li-Ion battery power, custom pulses and custom delays!

• Simple to setup - no need to set kv or exposure time!

• Low radiation due to short nano-second bursts of x-ray!

XR150

XR200

Visit Scanna in the ADS Area on Stand SE141

XRS-3 www.scanna-msc.com info@scanna-msc.com

To receive a full PDF version of the Counter-IED Report, please complete the online form.

Please provide a valid corporate, government or academic email address. We reserve the right to refuse to accept any application at our discretion.

If you have any questions please email to: editorial@deltabusinessmedia.com

REQUEST YOUR COPY OF THE COUNTER-IED REPORT

www.counteriedreport.com Unique content │ Global reach │ In print and online

Counter-IED Report

published by Delta Business Media Limited 3rd floor, 207 Regent Street, London, W1B 3HH, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 7193 2303 Fax: +44 (0) 20 3014 7659 info@deltabusinessmedia.com www.deltabusinessmedia.com