CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were a deadly threat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and claimed the most casualties in both conflicts. IEDs remain a threat to coalition forces in Iraq and Syria today during Operation Inherent Resolve. The US military developed several countermeasures to protect both mounted and dismounted soldiers from this threat. Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Warfare (CREW) systems provide protection from interference signals that detonate radio-controlled IEDs (RCIEDs). The vehicle-mounted Duke Version 3 and CREW Vehicle Receiver Jammer (CVRJ) systems as well as the dismantled Thor III and MODI II systems have proven their worth in protecting service staff from the RCIED threat. Since 2010, a system course on Electronic Warfare Operations (EWO) / CREW has been offered by contractors at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The class was offered to service members from newly arrived units using CREW systems in convoys and on patrols. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the class has not taken place for 10 months. “We were unable to provide the same level of training due to travel restrictions,” said Captain Jefferson Wilkes, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the US Army Central Command Readiness Training Center (ARTC). ARTC is responsible for providing training support to the coalition tenant units in Kuwait. “The EWO / CREW specialist course enables soldiers who are dependent on CREW systems when they are deployed to remain competent in the operation and maintenance of the systems in order to ensure the survivability of their units throughout the AOR (Area of Responsibility), “said Wilkes .Illinois National Guard Soldier Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Meneely and Florida National Guard Soldier Chief Warrant Officer 4 Douglas Montgomery are electronic warfare technicians who joined Task Force Phoenix in April 2020 – a fighter aviation brigade that Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve are responsible for all flight operations. Meneely, Montgomery, Electronic Warfare Sergeant, Sgt. Ismael Pulido, and OIC Maj. Jeremy Tennent are Task Force Phoenix’s Cyberspace Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) cell. They are responsible for ensuring that friendly radio wave devices are safe and secure, and they advise task force command staff on hostile electromagnetic interference. After arriving at the theater, they soon learned that the EWO / CREW class was not being taught. “This equipment is vital in a competitive battlefield where RCIEDs are a threat,” Meneely said. “Soldiers were not adequately trained in the CREW equipment for their vehicles going north.” Meneely and Montgomery had the skills and expertise to teach the class. They contacted Captain Wilkes and Lt. Col. Willard Lund, director of the Directorate for Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS). DPTMS is responsible for all training in Kuwait. Meneely, Montgomery, and Tennent made an offer to Wilkes and Lund to restart, update, and teach the course. “You fully supported us,” Meneely said of Wilkes and Lund. “They have been insurmountable for us with materials, equipment, and general support.” “Chief Meneely, Chief Montgomery, and Major Tennent identified a training gap and a resource gap,” said Wilkes. “They worked with us to make connections within the AOR to get a new program off the ground. As a result, they were able to update all systems and provide training for them. ”Meneely, Montgomery and Pulido, a California National Guard soldier, welcomed their first class to Camp Buehring on July 12th. Members of the Tennessee National Guard Spc. Curtis Hicks and Staff Sgt. Thomas Daniel, from the 1-181st Field Artillery Battalion, and Virginia National Guard Soldier Staff Sgt. Richard Recupero, from the 29th Infantry Division, was the first graduate of the four-day course. “We taught them the basics of electronic warfare and the ten-step maintenance tasks for CREW systems,” Meneely said. “After finishing school, the CREW maintainers can load and operate the systems, fix errors and fix deficiencies in the systems. They will return to their units, who are responsible for ensuring that all of their CREW systems are operational. ”Daniel said the course provided him with important training in the CREW systems that his battalion uses. “Our security forces use these systems,” he said. “We’ll be responsible for testing and reporting systems for the battalion.” “I think the class went well,” said Montgomery. “We will continuously adjust the course and update it based on ratings, feedback and emerging threats.” Meneely and Montgomery said they will host additional courses for incoming units as needed. They are also planning to set up an academy for unmanned air defense systems (CUAS) in the Bühring camp. Shot Date: 7/26/2021 Published Date: 7/26/2021 3:55 AM Story ID: 401687 Location: CAMP BUEHRING, KW Web Views: 11 Downloads: 0 PUBLIC DOMAIN This work, Task Force Phoenix fighting RCIEDs, by MAJ Jason Sweeney, from DVIDS identified must comply with the restrictions stated on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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