Our teams are responsible for the identification, render safe, and disposal of hazardous unexploded conventional munitions, chemical munitions, and improvised explosive devices. We also support the United States Secret Service and the State Department as part of protection details for the President of the United States, the Vice President, and dignitaries from foreign countries. We provide EOD support to civil authorities for incidents involving military unexploded ordnance, improvised explosive devices, weapons of mass destruction, transportation accidents involving DOD owned or DOD contractor owned munitions, or hazardous explosive items beyond the capability of the requesting civil authorities. Additionally, we present classes on ordnance recognition, bomb search, bomb threat and reporting procedures to military, civilian, and federal authorities. Lastly, we are capable of rapidly deploying as part of a Weapon of Mass Destruction Task Force to defeat weapons of mass destruction directed against the United States and its interests.
You’ll be a part of a dynamic team, known as the Army Bomb Squad
, with a real world mission and world wide operations area. You’ll be in a tight-knit unit with soldiers of the highest mental, moral, and technical abilities who are inventive and self reliant under even the most adverse conditions.
Bomb disposal in the United States dates back to April of 1941. The United States was not yet at war, but we were actively preparing for that eventuality. Embassy personnel and military observers were reporting on the actions of warring nations and as these reports were evaluated by the War Department, Intelligence Sections, recommendations were made concerning actions that should be taken by the United States. One area stood out.
Delayed-explosion bombs were creating havoc in Europe, taking a heavy toll on lives and industry. It was expected that if the United States entered the war, we would experience bombing of our cities and industries. As a result, the need for a bomb disposal program in this country received immediate attention. In the beginning, it was thought that bomb disposal would be under the Office of Civilian Defense. In April 1941, the School of Civilian Defense was organized at the Chemical Warfare School, Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, and part of the training was to be bomb disposal.
The Commandant of the Chemical Warfare School requested assistance from the War Department to set up the Bomb Disposal School. The request was approved and forwarded to General Julian S. Hatcher, who was the Commanding General of the Ordnance Training Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. General Hatcher selected Major Thomas J. Kane to provide assistance. It was decided that both military and civilian bomb disposal personnel would be trained by the Army. All responsibility for bomb disposal was placed under the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. The Office of Civilian Defense would be responsible for bomb reconnaissance and the disposal of incendiaries in the United States. The location of the Bomb Disposal School was changed from Edgewood Arsenal to the Ordnance Training Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Newly promoted Colonel Kane was selected to be the school's commandant.
In the interim the Navy, under a directive from the Chief of Naval Operations, instituted a Mine Disposal School in May of 1941. The school was located in Washington, D.C. and was tasked with the training of Navy personnel in the disposal of U.S. and foreign mines and other underwater ordnance. In December of 1941, the Chief of Naval Personnel issued another directive for the formation of the Navy Bomb Disposal School.
In 1947, the Navy was assigned Joint Service responsibility for basic EOD training and in 1971, the Navy was designated as the Single Service Manager for all common EOD training. This training continues to be provided by the Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal School located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
back to topThe EOD Career Program is a volunteer program designed to train Soldiers in the location, identification, evaluation, safe rendering, recovery and final disposition of both surface and underwater Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Enhanced High Explosive (CBRNE) ordnance, improvised explosive devices (IED), unexploded ordnance (UXO) and previously unknown ordnance used worldwide to protect the commander's combat power. In addition, they also provide EOD support to the President of the United States, Vice President and others as directed in coordination with the U.S. Secret Service. Force protection threats around the world have also increased the average level of EOD support provided to the United States Secret Service for protection of the President and Vice President as directed in DoD Directive 3025.13. Recent Presidential Decision Directives have designated certain major events (Olympics, World Trade Organization (WTO), Super Bowl, etc.) as “National Security Special Events (NSSE)” and directed EOD support to these events, which again has increased EOD mission requirements.
Since World War II, EOD has been at the forefront of operations known today as Force Protection and Military Support to Civil Authorities. They are heavily committed to current operations as part of Homeland Defense and the overseas campaign against terrorism EOD Soldiers provide force protection, against any type of explosive device, to US forces, operations and installations in CONUS and around the world, during peacetime, wartime, and during other contingencies. They make safety assessments, identify courses of action, and select procedures to defuse explosive devices built by criminals, saboteurs or terrorists. They operate in urban, desert, jungle and mountain environments and will deploy to locations throughout the world. They will work with foreign militaries on real world missions as well as training exercises.
Back to TopSoldiers in grades E1-E5 serve as EOD response team members. They are responsible for preparing tools that the team leader will use to defuse explosive items, and they serve as safety observers while gaining experience in EOD operations. When an EOD SGT is nearing eligibility for promotion to SSG, he undergoes an extensive team leader certification program to verify that he has attained the skills and knowledge necessary to operate as an EOD team leader.
Upon promotion to SSG and successful completion of a team leader certification program, the Soldier becomes an EOD team leader. EOD senior NCOs, while primarily assigned as Operations NCOs and First Sergeants, also can continue to function EOD team leaders. Officers assigned as company commanders complete the same certification process and then can function as EOD team leaders.
The team leader is responsible for his team’s safety and training, for performing the actual procedures to defuse military ordnance or homemade bombs, and for accountability of the explosives he uses. EOD team leaders operate independently and are the senior EOD technicians on an EOD response mission. They make all decisions regarding how to defuse an explosive item, what safety precautions to take, evacuation distances required, what explosives to use, etc. The EOD team leader will also coordinate directly with battalion and brigade commanders and their staffs and with garrison commanders in order to conduct EOD operations. They are responsible for coordinating with, and providing advice to, the senior Secret Service agent during Presidential protective details and for coordinating with FBI agents, ATF agents, and local civilian law enforcement officers when supporting those agencies. The great majority of EOD team leaders are SSGs, and they perform these functions independently with no direct supervision from senior NCOs or officers.
It is routine in EOD for a team consisting of a SSG and SPC to be assigned a mission in support of the Secret Service. These two soldiers will fly on a commercial flight to the mission location, rent a car, and travel to the designated commercial hotel. They may then spend several days supporting the Secret Service, searching rooms and locations where the President of the United States will actually be. They coordinate all search schedules with the Secret Service and provide advice and recommendations on search procedures. They normally stay in the same hotel as the President and open and examine any gifts given to the President. Upon completion of the mission, they leave the hotel, turn in their rental car, and take a commercial flight back to their unit. They accomplish this with no supervision from a senior NCO or officer, no rehearsals, and no special train-up. Additionally, EOD teams supporting the Secret Service may be required to obtain Visas and country clearances for overseas travel. Back to Top
Explosive ordnance disposal specialists must possess the additional following qualifications:
Soldiers who desire to reenlist or reclassify into MOS 89D (EOD) must initiate their request with a letter of intent statement. Download EOD letter of intent statement. Complete and fax letter of intent to the EOD Recruiting Team at Fort Bragg at Commercial: (910) 396-4994 (DSN 239-4994) or scan and email to one of the EOD recruiters.
First Sergeant Matthew R. Boehme or Master Sergeant Ernesto W. Vazquez (preferred)
Contact your local field Career Counselor or Reenlistment NCO to check eligibility for BEAR program.
According to Retention Management Branch and in the Bear Newsletter 05-06 Soldiers requesting MOS 21D, 89D, 98G or CMF 18 may request entry into the BEAR program regardless of their In/Out call status.
Also, Soldiers requesting MOS' within CMF 18 and 89D are authorized to submit BEAR application 24 months prior to ETS and DEROS.
Initial training for entry into the EOD program is a two-phase process. Accepted volunteers will PCS to Eglin AFB, FL. And attend formal training at Redstone Arsenal, AL TDY enroute.
Phase 1: 4E-91E/645-89D10/20 (10 weeks) taught at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (TDY – no dependants authorized)
Phase 2: 4E-91E/645-89D10/20 (28 weeks) taught at Eglin AFB, Florida (Dependants authorized).
Soldiers who fail to complete the prescribed EOD training or who enter the training and later are found to be unqualified will be removed from the EOD Program and reassigned.
Upon completion of training, Soldiers are awarded MOS 89D (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist) and owe a 2 year service obligation upon completion of this training.
There are significantly greater civilian EOD employment opportunities today than there were 20 years ago. Civilian EOD opportunities are primarily in two areas: in civilian law enforcement bomb squads at local, state, and federal levels and in civilian unexploded ordnance (UXO) clean-up companies who specialize in remediation of UXO contaminated areas, primarily at formerly utilized defense sites (FUDS). These UXO clean-up companies did not even exist 20 years ago, and the number of civilian bomb squads in the United States has greatly increased since that time. Additionally many companies are seeking former EOD soldiers to conduct threat / vulnerability assessments and provide mitigation analysis.
The benefits of being an EOD Specialist are numerous and the opportunity for promotion is high. Along with the MOS school you will have the opportunity to receive training in advanced skills such as Advanced Improvised Explosive Devices (AIED), British & Canadian IED Courses, SOTIC (Sniper), and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Courses. With the additional training comes additional responsibility, and additional rewards. EOD Specialists are eligible for additional pay based upon their skills and duty position. Pay such as Special Duty Pay or SDAP, Demo Pay, Language Pay, and a civilian clothing allowance.
Your skills will be critical to all of the missions your EOD team will accomplish and while on the team you will be undertake missions that can affect national level policies and be one of the only official U.S. representatives in a country. Examples of current EOD operations are Humanitarian Demining Operations (several continents), Counter Narcotics missions in South America, Chemical Weapon Proliferation missions and other worldwide contingency missions. As a member of an EOD team, you can be responsible for designing/teaching classes, conducting assessments, and supervising foreign training staffs. After the mission you will have the satisfaction of performing your duties to a high standard and knowing that you will make a difference in the lives of millions of people.
When Soldiers have completed the prescribed EOD training, they will then PCS to an EOD unit. There is no guaranteed station of choice.
| EOD Assignment Locations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ft Bragg, NC | Ft Carson, CO | Ft Campbell, KY |
| Ft Drum, NY | Ft Dix, NJ | Ft Gillem, GA |
| Alaska Andrews AFB, MD | Anniston AD, AL | Ft Bliss, TX |
| Cape Canaveral AFS, Cocoa Beach, FL | Egypt | Ft Hood, TX |
| Ft Belvoir, VA | Ft Benning, GA | Ft Irwin, CA |
| Ft Indiantown Gap, PA | Camp Shelby, MS | Ft McNair, Washington DC |
| Ft McCoy, WI | Ft Lewis, WA | Ft Jackson, SC |
| Ft Knox, KY | Ft Lewis, WA | Ft Leonardwood, MO |
| Ft Meade, MD | Ft Monmouth, NJ | Ft Sill, OK |
| Ft Polk, LA | Ft Riley, KS | Ft Sam Houston, TX |
| Ft Stewart, GA | Germany | Hawaii |
| Kirtland AFB, NM | Moffett Field, CA | San Diego Naval Sub Base, CA |
| Pine Bluff Arsenal, AR | Selfridge ANGB, MI (Detroit, MI) | Tooele Army Depot, UT |
| White Sands Missile Range, NM | Wright Patterson AFB, OH | Yakima Training Center, WA |