Improvised Explosive Devices Worldwide Overview Roger Davies UNCLASSIFIED
Agenda Historical context IED categorization Technical detail IED as a weapon system Global aspects Technical dissemination Implications UNCLASSIFIED
1580 Historical context
Assassination with vehicle bombs Christmas Eve 1801, Paris, France
Windshield Broken
Christmas Day 2003 Musharraf s s car window broken..
Los Angeles Times, 1910 21 people killed in a fire following an explosion at the office of the LA Times. Police witnessed victims jumping to their death from windows to escape the fire Suitcase of dynamite
Los Angeles suicide bomber 1912 Two LAPD cops defuzed a suicide device after Bomber Carl Warr entered Los Angeles city jail with 60 sticks of dynamite strapped to himself. After an hour, two detectives attempted to subdue the man who then pulled the bomb's trigger. The device failed to function. The perpetrator then begged to be shot by the police.
New York 1920
Michigan 1927 school bombing and subsequent VBIED The Bath School Bombing, May 18, 1927 Andrew P. Kehoe deranged -protesting taxes Months in preparation wiring the school Two devices in Bath school one exploded, one (500 pounds) defuzed
Defuzed IED
Kehoe returned to the scene and as he was being apprehended he blew up dynamite in his car killing himself arresting officer and others 45 people died, including 38 children
Categorizing IEDs Timed Mechanical Electronic Other Command Command wire Radio Controlled Suicide Other Victim operated (Booby traps) Hybrids
Timed devices Usually Mechanical or Electrical timers Rare in Iraq compared to other campaigns
Command initiated Initiated when the target enters range of the IED by a command from the terrorist Simple wire, making a series circuit Radio control the radio signal closing a switch in a simple series circuit Suicide switch - car or body or boat Pros and Cons with each from a terrorist perspective
RCIEDs Most common roadside devices Initiated when the target presents itself in a killing zone Any Transmitter/Receiver system is possible
Typical RCIEDs
Firing switch adjacent to the driver Zarqawi video
Suicide devices
IED Tactical Design How does a terrorist plan his IED attack? Many factors, including Device Design Assessed target vulnerabilities Target predictability Geography/terrain Maximizing Probability of Kill
Global aspects of the IED threat Afghanistan Pakistan Chechenya - RCIEDs Thailand Cell phone RCIEDs Indonesia VBIEDs and suicide IEDs Colombia FARC India Nepal Bangladesh Philippines China Europe
Proliferation of expertise from Iraq Jordan - Suicide bombs, VBIEDs, 107mm launches Egypt VBIEDs, roadside devices Lebanon VBIED assassinations, 107mm Syria - Various Qatar - VBIED Saudi Arabia VBIED and others Kashmir VBIED attacks on military convoys
Technical dissemination
Conclusions The use of IEDs is global, not just in Iraq The IED is a very sophisticated,, flexible weapon system There is a spectrum of IED threats The simplicity of the devices makes them difficult to defeat
IED challenges The IED problem is a dynamic challenge Terrorist technical/tactical development is very rapid we need to have an agile response
Implications to Defense Industry Defeating a system requires a systematic response that is integrated. Equipment, Intel, TTPs, strategies and doctrines The key will be integration and the application of intelligence to operations and equipment. The IED will remain as a primary weapon system that the US, coalition and NATO forces will face for many years. A lot of ideas to counter IEDs have already been tried.
Summary Our enemy is: Determined Ingenious & Innovative Prepared to die for his cause. The The worst sort of enemy
Questions? Roger Davies roger@hazmansol.com HMS Inc - 202 812 0662