Operation Kiribati Assist is the Australian Defence Force's (ADF) contribution to a request from the Government of Kiribati to assist in the disposal of World War II unexploded ordnance (UXO) from locations throughout Kiribati.
The Kiribati islands were occupied by the Japanese during World War II. Most of the UXO encountered in Kiribati are remnants from this conflict. They include military ordnance such as artillery projectiles, aerial bombs, rockets, mortars and mines.
An ADF Joint Task Force (JTF) was raised known as JTF 637, and was deployed to Kiribati over the period 7–26 August 2008. JTF 637 comprises approximately 22 personnel, including a Command Group, a Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diving Team to handle underwater UXO, Army and RAAF Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams who will handle land-based UXO, including air-delivered items and a Medical Team. [1]
JTF 637 disposed of UXO identified during a 2007 reconnaissance of the islands and scope any future UXO disposal requirements and (EOD) training opportunities for the Kiribati Police Service during their deployment. [1]
Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the military fields of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD), and the public safety roles of public safety bomb disposal (PSBD) and the bomb squad.
The Clearance Diving Branch is the specialist diving unit of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) whose versatile role covers all spheres of military diving, and includes explosive ordnance disposal and maritime counter-terrorism. The Branch has evolved from traditional maritime diving, and explosive ordnance disposal, to include a special operations focus.
Unexploded ordnance, unexploded bombs (UXBs), or explosive remnants of war (ERW) are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, sometimes many decades after they were used or discarded. UXO does not always originate from wars; areas such as military training grounds can also hold significant numbers, even after the area has been abandoned. UXO from World War I continue to be a hazard, with poisonous gas filled munitions still a problem. When unwanted munitions are found, they are sometimes destroyed in controlled explosions, but accidental detonation of even very old explosives also occurs, sometimes with fatal results.
USS Bordelon (DD/DDR-881) was one of 98 World War II Gearing-class destroyers of the United States Navy, and was named for Marine Staff Sergeant William J. Bordelon (1920–1943), who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Battle of Tarawa.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces which recognizes those service members, qualified as explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians, who are specially trained to deal with the construction, deployment, disarmament, and disposal of high explosive munitions including other types of ordnance such as nuclear, biological and chemical weapons along with improvised explosive devices (IED) and improvised nuclear devices (IND). Also known as the “EOD Badge” or "Crab", the decoration is issued by the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The EOD Badge is the only occupational badge awarded to all four services under the United States Department of Defense.
A clearance diver was originally a specialist naval diver who used explosives underwater to remove obstructions to make harbours and shipping channels safe to navigate, but later the term "clearance diver" was used to include other naval underwater work. Units of clearance divers were first formed during and after the Second World War to clear ports and harbours in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe of unexploded ordnance and shipwrecks and booby traps laid by the Germans.
United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians render safe all types of ordnance, including improvised, chemical, biological, and nuclear. They perform land and underwater location, identification, render-safe, and recovery of foreign and domestic ordnance. They conduct demolition of hazardous munitions, pyrotechnics, and retrograde explosives using detonation and burning techniques. They forward deploy and fully integrate with the various Combatant Commanders, Special Operations Forces (SOF), and various warfare units within the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army. They are also called upon to support military and civilian law enforcement agencies, as well as the Secret Service.
William Dennis Goodchild Hunt MBE served a full career in the British Army as an Ammunition Technician (AT) and Ammunition Technical Officer (ATO) and served in the UK, mainland Europe as well as the Middle and Far East.
An ammunition technical officer (ATO) is an officer involved in all aspects of the army's use of ammunition. This includes: bomb disposal, clearance of ERW, explosives accident investigation, procurement, in service management, storage, and inspection and repair.
Australia was a member of the international coalition which contributed military forces to the 1991 Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm. More than 1,800 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were deployed to the Persian Gulf from August 1990 to September 1991, while contingents from the Royal Australian Navy circulated through the region in support of the sanctions against Iraq until November 2001. In August 1990, two frigates HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Darwin and the replenishment ship HMAS Success left for the Persian Gulf. HMAS Success had no air defences, so the Army 16th Air Defence Regiment was embarked. On 3 December 1990, HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Sydney (IV) relieved HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Darwin. On 26 January 1991, HMAS Westralia replaced HMAS Success. A Navy Clearance diving team was also deployed for explosive ordnance disposal and demolition tasks. Australian ships were in danger of sea mines and possible air attacks. In a number of recorded incidents, HMAS Brisbane encountered free floating mines, on one occasion narrowly avoiding a collision. Both HMA Ships Brisbane and Sydney encountered significant air threat warnings from Iran and Iraq throughout the initial period of the commencement of the Desert Storm Campaign. The detection of land based Silkworm anti-ship missiles from Iran throughout the campaign also added to the challenges for both crews as well as the multi-national Naval Forces.
A mine clearance organization, or demining organization, is an organization involved in removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) for military, humanitarian, or commercial reasons. Demining includes mine clearance, as well as surveying, mapping and marking of hazardous areas.
The 7th Engineer Support Battalion is an engineering support unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The unit falls under the command of 1st Marine Logistics Group and the I Marine Expeditionary Force.
An anti-handling device is an attachment to—or an integral part of—a landmine or other munition e.g. some fuze types found in general purpose air-dropped bombs, cluster bombs and sea mines. It is designed to prevent tampering. When the protected device is disturbed, it detonates, killing or injuring anyone within the blast area. There is a strong functional overlap of booby traps and anti-handling devices.
The 20th CBRNE Command is the United States Army's Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Radiological and high-yield explosives headquarters.
The 52nd Ordnance Group (EOD) is the command and control headquarters for all U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Battalions and Companies located east of the Mississippi River in the Continental United States (CONUS). The current command team consists of Colonel Daniel J. Duncan and Command Sergeant Major Gregory T. Miller. Their command covers 184th and 192nd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), as well as the 63rd Chemical Company (CBRN). Subordinate units maintain EOD Response Teams, which evaluate, render safe, and remove conventional, chemical/biological, or nuclear ordnance, or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which pose an immediate threat to public safety. While subordinate units are trained and equipped for combat operations, they may also support a variety of peacetime missions, to include range surface clearance operations of active U.S. Army installations, EOD and UXO operations in support of civilian law enforcement agencies, and support to the U.S. Secret Service for protection of VIPs.
The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a non-governmental organization that assists people affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons.
Operation Queensland Flood Assist is a complex, multi-Service activity by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as a contribution to the response to the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. Coordinated to aid civilian emergency response efforts, at Federal inter-departmental level it is managed by Emergency Management Australia. It comprises units and personnel from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operating as Joint Task Force 637. The operation was initially commanded by Colonel Luke Foster, based at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane. When the ADF commitment was increased, command was transferred to Brigadier Paul McLachlan, Commander of the 7th Brigade, also based in Brisbane.
The 753rd Ordnance Company (EOD), West Virginia Army National Guard (WVARNG), was activated in 2004 and is based at Camp Dawson near Kingwood, WV.
The Ordnance Corps (ORD) is a combat support corps of the Irish Army, a branch of the Defence Forces, that has logistical and operational responsibility for military ordnance in Ireland. The logistical role of the Army Ordnance Corps is to provide technical support to the Defence Forces for the procurement, storage, distribution, inspection, maintenance, repair and disposal of all items of ordnance equipment. The operational role of the Ordnance Corps is to train personnel for and provide the state's bomb disposal capability.
No. 5131 (BD) Squadron is the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron deploys to EOD alerts throughout the United Kingdom and has an additional role to undertake worldwide. 5131 is the only UK military EOD team that is qualified to deal with ejector seats, aircraft canopies and bomb disposal work undertaken in the airfield environment. The squadron operates out of RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire as an element of No. 42 Wing.
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