The weapons of an insurgency are usually technologically inferior to those of the opposing force. In the case of Afghanistan, the Taliban have basic conventional weapons, AK-47s, RPG and the like, but they are also using whatever they can manipulate into something lethal and difficult to counter. They took a page from the Iraqi insurgent handbook-IEDs and because Afghanistan lacks the abundance of munitions found in Iraq, the explosive of choice is the fertilizer-based bomb.
No matter the explosive, it is the deadly nature and
inability to counter these devices every time that is the problem. The Department of Defense created the Joint
IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) to integrate all service efforts to counter
these devices. According to the Director
of JIEDDO, the IED replaced direct fire as the enemy’s weapons of choice. The majority of Allied casualties are a
result of IEDs. Obviously, this is an
effort with a clear goal and plenty of focus.
A clear goal-yes, a clear focus-perhaps. Secretary of Defense Gates recently appointed a group to look into the anti IED effort. JIEDDO does not appear to be a smooth operating joint organization. At the beginning of the counter-IED effort, the United States Navy had the expertise in Electronic Warfare (EW) and the Army called upon them to aid their effort to defeat IEDs electronically. This not only helped the Army who lacked this expertise, but also helped the Navy gain some needed credibility in supporting the war effort on the ground. In a joint environment, that Navy would retain and expand the EW effort to support the Army and Marine Corps. Not so, the Army is expending resources to develop EW training, fielding counters is not keeping up with the pace of change on the ground.
Overall, the Army is working very hard leading this effort; however,
there are still some problems. Counter IED development and acquisition efforts
are plagued by more dithering than decisions. There should be a greater effort to integrate
information from the field, specifically the efforts by other nations. In addition, post disarming or explosion
forensics are analyzed and integrated at a slow pace. There are rumors of political maneuvering and
infighting between the services. This project
should be the epitome of jointness. It
will be interesting to review the findings of the group Secretary Gate’
appoints and to see if the services can put rivalry aside to more fully focus on taking IEDs out of the insurgents arsenal.
References
JIEDDO Web Site
https://www.jieddo.dod.mil/about.aspx
Washington Post JIEDDO Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/14/AR2009111402437.html
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