An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 17 Tactically in the event of an IED attack we must analyse why it happened; why were our personnel targeted; what mistakes did our forces make; and what changes can be made to our tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to reduce future threats. The technical side of the investigation looks at what evidence we can gather from the scene; what type of device was used; and what forensic evidence might assist us in a court of law. The final week of the course included Exercise 'Sand Box' in which the students were exercised in all of the roles within a WIT. The students were run through a series of realistic scenarios that required them to analyse a scene, interview on-scene commanders and witnesses, draw conclusions on the nature of the device, collect evidence, and take on- scene photos. The overall exercise scenario was based on the ISAF mis- sion where the IED threat is very high. The training culminated in the Glen of Imaal where a number of explosions were set off to simulate vehicle borne, suicide borne, victim operated, com- mand, and radio controlled IEDs. Operating as five WITs, the students were deployed to liaise with the ICP commander, EOD officer, patrol commander, and any other witnesses, again creating realistic scenarios for them to inves- tigate: gathering intelligence, submitting reports, and presenting findings to the commander. The first WIT course was fortunate to have the presence of Maj Jose Chammorro, the lead for WIT in the NATO/PfP C-IED Centre of Excellence in Madrid. His knowledge and expertise was welcomed by all of the students as he got heavily involved, providing excellent feedback on all of the student presentations. The WIT course is a very important one for the Defence Forces because it means we are going beyond the simple reactive mode by developing a deeper level of intelligence and device analysis capability, thus providing our commanders with a clearer picture of the operational environment. Through this analysis we begin to understand the enemy's TTPs, resulting in better force protection. WITs operating around the world have uncovered and captured weapons caches, denying the enemy access to munitions. In addition, they have also made hundreds of positive identifications of bomb-makers and facilitators, thereby helping to get these individuals off the streets. Vox Pops lt ronan laMBe, 7 inF Bn "Applying for the WIT course was a natural progression for me, having completed the C-IED Instructor course in 2010. I found the skills brought to each syndicate by the MPs, ordnance and infantry personnel complemented each other very well. The skills I gained on the course were garnered not only from the instruc- tion but from operating in exercise environments with fellow syndicate members. It was an enjoyable course that highlighted the interoperability of the various corps. I believe the course will enhance the standard of C-IED instruction in the Defence Forces as all the C-IED instructors who do the course will be able to pass on their knowledge to make the soldier on the ground more forensically aware when operating in an IED environment." sgt conor kelleHer, 1 Fd cis coy "A WIT qualification brings greater awareness of the bigger C-IED picture as WITs are an impor- tant part of the process of gathering relevant information, intelligence and evidence to counter IED networks at all levels. It is also a qualification that could fill specific vacancies on overseas missions. The practical part of going to a scene as a member of a WIT, gathering as much infor- mation and evidence as possible, and then seeing the reports and presentation the team would produce was very satisfying." Students and instructors of the first WIT course

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