An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Oct. 11, 2023

148th Fighter Wing EOD Flight Hosts Validation Course

By Audra Flanagan, 148th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. - The 148th Fighter Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight created and hosted an advanced conventional course for 30 technicians at the Minnesota National Guard’s Camp Ripley Training Center Sept. 18-22.

The course focused on five lines of effort: restoring readiness, investing in technology, driving innovation, developing and retaining leaders, and partnerships.

EOD technicians undertake dangerous missions in diverse and unforgiving locales worldwide. They work in teams to employ special tools and vehicles to locate, identify, recover, disarm and dispose of dangerous weapons that threaten people, property and natural environments.

“We had members from the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Air Force and Navy attend this course,” said Capt. Ana Smith, the Air National Guard functional area manager. “Bringing technicians from different components and services allows us to share knowledge widely. Attendees can take what they learned to their units, which multiplies the value of the course.”

Two technicians from Papua New Guinea, partners with the Wisconsin National Guard in the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, also attended the training. 

“Our Papua New Guinea partners were pleased with the training opportunity afforded to them at Camp Ripley,” said Senior Master Sgt. Erich Sanford, EOD flight superintendent, 115th Fighter Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard. “They were able to practice what had only been trained in theory.“

The course at the Leach Impact Area in Camp Ripley allowed technicians to use diverse tools on live ordnance. 

“The curriculum is designed for all technicians to use unexploded ordnance so they can troubleshoot realistic problems they could see when called upon,” said Master Sgt. Mark Hilleren, 148th EOD flight superintendent and advanced course designer.

EOD technicians, divided into five small teams, identified unexploded ordnance using reconnaissance techniques, X-ray interpretation and technical data. 

“Adaptability is the key to survivability in EOD, and working with other units in a team environment is the best way to shift and share our perspectives,” said Sanford.

“Teams spent a day testing an assortment of explosives and charges to understand their effects,” said Hilleren. “We allow teams the opportunity to get exposure to our entire explosive inventory and the space and freedom to practice varying techniques and effects and against actual targets.”

As part of the training, teams removed large caliber projectiles from M60 tank 105 mm barrels. 

“If a weapons system, such as an F-16 or A-10, experiences a jam or lodged projectile, an EOD team could be called to remove the projectile, which allows the equipment to be put back in service,’ said Hilleren.

The advanced course ended with a day-long protective works segment. Teams protected structures built by 148th Civil Engineering Squadron personnel from live ordnance. Technicians used technical data and publications to guide them using sandbag mitigation techniques and earth shock precautions. Actual rounds were detonated next to the structures to test the effectiveness of their designs.

“The training environment at Camp Ripley allowed us to conduct realistic training that capitalized on the real-world knowledge of EOD technicians from different backgrounds,” said Smith.

 

 

Related Articles
Michigan National Guard Biathlon Team members compete at the Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon Competition, held this year at the Mount Itasca Winter Sports Center in Coleraine, Minn., from Feb. 28-March 5, 2025.  The annual competition is held in one of three host states, Minnesota, Utah and Vermont, and is open to National Guard members in all 54 states and territories.
Michigan Guard Team Competes at Biathlon Championship
By 2nd Lt. Paige Bodine, | March 20, 2025
LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan National Guard Biathlon Team competed at the Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championship at Mount Itasca, Minnesota, from Feb. 28-March 5. The annual event brings together top competitors...

A LC-130 Hercules assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing flies over Parsons Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, March 4, 2025. The LC-130 Hercules can land on snow and ice using skis.
109th Airlift Wing Lands LC-130 Hercules on Fresh Water Ice
By Staff Sgt. Jocelyn Tuller, | March 10, 2025
INUVIK, Canada - Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing have landed an LC-130 Hercules on freshwater ice for the first time in the wing’s history during Operation Nanook-Nunalivut March 5.Maj. Joseph...

Airmen conduct a long-distance ruck during the Air National Guard’s Cold Weather Operations Course at Camp Ripley Training Center, Minn., followed by two aerospace medical specialists wearing red hats, assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard, Feb. 6, 2025.  Three aerospace medical specialists provided medical education and response to 70 students from 37 Air National Guard Wings attending the course designed to prepare service members for deployments to cold weather regions.
Air National Guard Medics Keep Airmen in the Fight
By Audra Flanagan, | Feb. 21, 2025
CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. - When 70 Airmen from 37 Air National Guard wings participated in a Cold Weather Operations Course, three aerospace medical technicians, or medics, and a physician assistant assigned to the Minnesota...