Defense Department Documents and Publications
April 11, 2008

Civilian, Military Defenders Gather for Vehicle Bomb Demonstration

by Jennifer M. McCarthy Special to American Forces Press Service
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ARTICLES

FORT DIX, N.J., April 11, 2008 – Federal and state law enforcement
personnel joined servicemembers at the explosive ordnance range here
April 9 for a vehicle bomb demonstration.

FBI agents based in New York and New Jersey, New Jersey State Police,
Defense Department police, and Army and Air Force personnel saw a
large box truck, a sport utility vehicle, two sedans, and a minivan
ripped asunder by explosives and sent soaring into the air.

The vehicles were rigged with controlled explosive devices detonated
as part of a week-long joint training course that helped hone the law
enforcement officials’ skills in the tools and techniques used to
identify and neutralize vehicle bombs.

As well as allowing participants a chance to earn a certificate from
the FBI Bomb Data Center, the course provided real-world experience,
particularly to soldiers and airmen deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The training was good. It is useful in principle," said Air Force
Staff Sgt. Michael Bramble of the 305th Civil Engineer Squadron’s
explosive ordnance disposal flight. Bramble recently returned from a
deployment in Afghanistan. "This training is geared towards populated
areas," he said. "It decreases collateral damage."

Terrorists have adopted vehicle bombs as a prominent weapon of
choice, but they are not a new tactic. One of the earliest uses of a
car bomb was the attempted assassination of Sultan Abdul Hamid II in
Istanbul in 1905 by Armenian separatists. Since then, terrorist
groups have used vehicle bombs as a way to try to cause chaos and
destruction.

Don Breecre, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and
environmental bomb technician, said the Fort Dix demonstration was "a
chance for bomb techs, EOD, to train on the tools we use to defeat
vehicle bombs."

"Perfect practice makes perfect," he said.

(Jennifer M. McCarthy works at Fort Dix Public Affairs.)