Delivery of two iterations HomeMade Explosive Course – Advanced 

From 15-18 MAY 2023 and from 22-26 MAY 2023, NATO EOD COE organized two iterations of the Homemade Explosive Course - Advanced (HMEC-A) in Training Centre Lest, Slovakia. The HMEC-A introduces to responding personnel the precursors used by criminals and terrorists in the manufacturing process of homemade explosives, along with the synthetized finished explosive mixtures. During the course students have to fulfil following objectives:

    to identify the hazards of mixed/or partially mixed precursor chemicals, 
    to observe unknown materials with their recognized specific hazards, 
    to process a scene for evidentiary purposes and to remove safely and dispose these hazards.

The development and the execution of the HMEC-A is a success of the team consisting of the pool of instructors and experts from ATF National Centre for Explosives Training and Research (USA), 15th Engineer Regiment (CZE), Belgian EOD Group, Dutch EOD unit (NLD), Thermo Fisher Scientific (USA),  University of Pardubice (CZE), 905. Centre of Specialized Combat Support (SVK), 901. Engineer Battalion (SVK), 51. Training Base of Special Forces (SVK), 71. Service support Battalion (SVK) and COE members. 

In total, 31 students from sixteen NATO countries (CZE, DEU, ESP, EST, FRA, GRC, LVA, NLD, NOR, POL, ROU, SVK, PRT, BEL, CAN, LTU) attended the courses. Both course iteration  participants successfully completed the Education and Individual Training student’s assessment criteria that are embedded in the NATO EOD COE Quality Assurance policy. In addition, based on trainees’ feedback to the course content, quality of instructors and the overall course execution, we can proclaim that our courses are in a great support of building NATO capabilities. 

Author: MSGT Stanislav MACURA, SVK A
Photo: EOD COE