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| Britain |
| Top UK EOD officer resigns over fear training compromised |
| 2010-05-24 |
| The Army's top bomb disposal officer has resigned, the MoD has said. The BBC understands from army sources that Colonel Bob Seddon, of the Royal Logistic Corps, quit over fears bomb disposal training could be compromised. There has been pressure on the Army to produce more bomb-disposal experts quickly as a result of the threat of roadside bombs in Afghanistan. An Army spokesman said it "remains committed to the counter improvised explosive device effort". BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the resignation may have been partly motivated by fears that pressures within the Army to do more to fight the threat from roadside bombs could lead to soldiers being sent to the front line with less training. Colonel Bob Seddon's resignation may be motivated in part by fears that pressures within the Army to act faster and do more to fight the threat from roadside bombs could lead to soldiers being sent to the front-line to deal with them with less training and poorer equipment. The dangers faced daily in Afghanistan by bomb disposal specialists are well-known - 11 EOD Regiment lost two of their most experienced men during their last tour of Helmand. It can take up to eight years to train such experts, and the regiment is currently under-staffed. There has been pressure on the Army to produce more counter-IED operatives more quickly, thanks to the increasing threat from roadside bombs in Afghanistan. However, there are worries that could result in less experienced or well-trained soldiers being sent to the front-lines in years to come, which could endanger more lives. In an interview with the BBC's Panorama, Col Seddon, who held the post of principal ammunition technical officer, said he was concerned about the impact on his team of a shortage of soldiers trained to defuse homemade explosives. He also said he is also worried about the length of tours and the lack of rest for his elite unit. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #4 P2K wins the 'Rantburg Snark of the Day' award! |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-05-24 09:05 |
| #3 ...using prisoners may conflict with the Geneva Conventions. However, there appears to be an excess of Labour appointed bureaucrats that won't be spending time making endless nanny state regulations that are possibly available and whose employment for such work does not conflict with the Conventions. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-05-24 08:04 |
| #2 They could adopt the Iranian mine-clearing model, but use prisoners instead of children. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-05-24 07:38 |
| #1 "There has been pressure on the Army to produce more bomb-disposal experts quickly as a result of the threat of roadside bombs in Afghanistan." Not to worry. I understand that they have a comprehensive "on the job training" program all worked out. They used the Post Flight Warhead Repair specialty as a model. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-05-24 02:40 |