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 DEFUsing the threat
oRGANIZATIoN SeekS To THWART USe oF IMpRoVISeD
expLoSIVe DeVICeS
MiCHAEL CoDERRE/jieDDo PUBlic affairS

W
ith increasing frequency, criminals, insurgents and terror-
ists worldwide are using the improvised explosive device,
or IED, as their weapon of choice to kill, intimidate and
influence.
“We have worked In Mexico, the recent and unexpected rise and intensification
of IED attacks underscores a chilling reality: The IED threat is
hard as an institution not limited to Iraq and Afghanistan and will persist beyond those
theaters as a weapon with global reach. This past fall, anarchists
and as a coalition plagued Mexico City with multiple IED attacks targeted at
Mexico’s economic center. The groups vowed to continue using
of nations to ensure the IED as a tool to achieve their goals and as a method to wield
that we can identify political influence.
The cost in time and resources to employ an IED is minimal,
those threats before and those using them are often funded by the narcotics trade,
have unlimited access to information through the Internet and
they reach our shores. have readily available access to materials. Adversarial networks,
including drug cartels, Marxist groups and anarchist groups,
And if they reach our may shift to the IED as increased security and counternarcotics
shores, [we can] successes decrease access to conventional weapons and increase
incentive to use improvised weapons. Mexico must prepare for
identify and prevent unconventional threats as it continues a sustained, effective fight in
an entrenched drug war.
them before they can Following the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, the Mexican government
coordinated a response that protected its citizens, defused any threat
take action.” to its continued global economic trade and prevented a more serious
— Gen. victor E. Renuart Jr., global influenza pandemic from occurring. A coordinated, collabora-
Commander of tive and proactive strategic response to the global IED threat would attain
U.S. Northern Command
similar strategic benefits. As was seen in Russia, Spain and the United
Kingdom, unexpected high-profile attacks resulted in very serious political,
economic and security ramifications.

CooRDinAtion AnD PREvEntion

Aware of the strategic and global nature of the threat, the Joint IED Defeat
Organization, or JIEDDO, works closely with those responsible for homeland defense
and regional security to prevent improvised explosive devices from gaining a significant
foothold in North America. JIEDDO’s extensive coordination and collaboration between
military, government and law enforcement personnel extends domestically and internation-
ally. As the U.S. Department of Defense’s counter-IED lead, the organization works closely
ck
iS
to with all U.S. combatant commands — including Northern Command and Southern Command

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 — to integrate counter-IED planning into the broader
scope of bilateral and multilateral planning.
“We have worked hard as an institution and as a
coalition of nations to ensure that we can identify
those threats before they reach our shores. And if they
reach our shores, [we can] identify and prevent them
before they can take action,” Gen. Victor E. Renuart
Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command, said when
he spoke to homeland security and defense experts in
November at the National Homeland Defense Foundation
Symposium VII in Colorado.
JIEDDO supports Northern Command and its identi-
fication of threats through the JIEDDO Counter-IED
Operations Integration Center, which analyzes informa-
tion gathered throughout the global intelligence com-
munity and integrates it.
JIEDDO also has explosive ordnance disposal
experts who can greatly enhance the training of
domestic and international first-responder agencies
tasked with disarming and destroying IEDs. If legally
authorized and formally requested through the U.S.
Department of Defense, the organization also retains
significant intelligence, surveillance and reconnais-
sance assets that can assist Northern Command and
Southern Command to help defeat regional IED
campaigns.
JIEDDO’s support of the U.S. law enforcement and
homeland security community extends to its Mexican
counterparts, within bilateral cooperation and collabo-
ration agreements. By using JIEDDO’s expertise, these
communities are better prepared to prevent, respond
to, investigate and prosecute IED-related crimes. The
organization’s success in attacking enemy networks,
detecting and defeating devices, and training provides
the community with the latest lessons learned and best
practices for overcoming IEDs.
JIEDDO personnel engaged outside of the U.S.
rapidly report on how various adversaries are employ-
ing the improvised explosive device, and that informa-
tion is disseminated throughout the organization’s
network of partners. This information assists U.S. law
enforcement entities in preparing policies, training
and response models to counter possible IED threats
throughout North America.
The Pentagon’s current hands-on experience in
detecting, countering and responding to IEDs is an
invaluable resource that regional law enforcement
agencies can and should exploit. To confront and
counter the threat, JIEDDO is reaching out to other
government agencies to increase coordination of IED
prevention efforts across lines of operation and be-
tween disparate branches of the government. A broad
network of partners from many other agencies and
organizations allows JIEDDO to cut across traditional
information barriers and provide relevant, timely
and credible information at the tactical edge of IED
prevention. n
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Explosive
terminology
One of JIEDDO’s most important mis-
sions is to create a common language
that police and Soldiers can use to identify
improvised explosive devices. The Weapons
Technical Intelligence IED Lexicon was
developed with close cooperation and
coordination among the U.S. military, the
intelligence community and law enforce-
ment agencies.
“The lexicon ensures that the United
States and all NATO nations — as well as
other partner nations — are talking the
same language when it comes to IEDs,”
said Lt. Col. Mark Wickham, a United
Kingdom officer who serves as JIEDDO’s
Weapons Technical Intelligence, or WTI,
expert. “Clearly outlining the common
terms for IEDs and other improvised
weapons enables better information fu-
sion, from the tactical to strategic level.”
Comprehensive in scope, the lexicon
defines terms ranging from basic IED
design and components to tactical out-
comes of IED employment.
“At each phase, information is gath-
ered to build a common picture of enemy
capabilities, inform commanders of new
developments, and support material
developers in building necessary coun-
termeasures,” Wickham said. “The lexicon
encourages accurate reporting and analy-
sis from the moment the IED is found.”
Weaving together forensic and techni-
cal analysis, the WTI process identifies
unique characteristics of improvised
explosive devices and their components
on the battlefield to provide intelligence
to ongoing operations across the globe.
Upon initial examination, the devices are
sent to battlefield labs for in-depth techni-
cal analysis. The information collected
is used to provide evidentiary support
to the prosecution of bomb makers.
The devices are sent to government and
military forensics labs across the globe for
more detailed, national-level analysis. The
forensic and technical data is also used in
counter-IED training support to provide the
most realistic scenarios possible.
Though there are no explicit plans at
this time, a Spanish-language version of
the lexicon is anticipated as the docu-
ment evolves.
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