Aerial WarfareMilitary Ordnance

US Air Force 4th Civil Engineer Squadro Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight Hosts Multi-base FTX

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Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) members from the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina hosted and participated in field training exercise Operation Guillotine along with EOD members from Shaw AFB, South Carolina and Andrews AFB, Maryland, July 26 – July 30, 2021. The FTX focused on dismounted, outside the continental United States improvised explosive device operations. The training kicked-off in the morning on day one with a ruck march from the EOD shop to the range where the Airmen set up camp. By early afternoon, the teams were running scenarios. The Airmen trained day and night ensuring each participant had an adequate amount of training rounds.

US Air Force 4th Civil Engineer Squadro Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight Hosts Multi-base FTX
Airman 1st Class Jakobo Vasquez Cuartas, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, removes a training neck bomb during field training exercise Operation Guillotine at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, July 29, 2021. Vasquez Cuartas used a knife to cut the hostage free in blackout conditions during one of the night operations.(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kimberly Barrera)

“The dismounted OCONUS mission is IED driven, where we have a limited amount of gear. It was performed on foot, without a vehicle, which limited our capability a ton and forced us to think on our feet. The training incorporated MCA and ACE aspects by using the same gear that is required on those missions and camping outside. We do a lot of work with the same equipment which crosses over to our dismounted IED mission. It’s important that we know our equipment through and through before going outside the wire when deployed. We utilized the flight line for a crash scenario, had a mock-up homemade explosive lab that was booby-trapped, some post blast scenarios as well as conventional and IED scenarios,” said Senior Airman Bryan Price, 4th CES EOD technician.

US Air Force 4th Civil Engineer Squadro Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight Hosts Multi-base FTX
Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, Shaw AFB, South Carolina and Andrews AFB, Maryland get familiarized with an F-15E Strike Eagle during field training exercise Operation Guillotine at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, July 26, 2021. During the FTX, EOD members utilized the flight line for simulated F-15E crash scenario. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kimberly Barrera)

The overall training was austere in nature to incorporate Agile Combat Employment and Multi-Capable Airmen capabilities and to test gear. Each training scenario prepared Airmen for a multitude of different situations, anything from gear familiarization to specific operations and mission sets. The Airmen used equipment such as radios, rifles, night vision goggles, rope reels, plate carriers, knives and a variety of personal gear during the FTX. The last night was a culmination of all of the training in black out conditions with simulation rounds and hostages strapped with simulated bombs in a contained area littered with trip wires and IED’s. The extensive training provided during the FTX helped ensure EOD members maintain mission readiness.

US Air Force 4th Civil Engineer Squadro Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight Hosts Multi-base FTX
Staff Sgt. Damian Riley, front, 4th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician, and Airman First Class Jarrid McKenzie, 4th CES EOD technician, investigate ground signs during field training exercise Operation Guillotine at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, July 26, 2021. Riley and McKenzie found a training pressure plate and a simulated improvised explosive device during their investigation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kimberly Barrera)
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