Pakistani military visits EOD School

  • Published
  • By Ensign Elizabeth Allen and Gordon Robinson
  • Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A delegation of four Pakistani military officers toured the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Jan. 28 for a familiarization trip and visit with students from Pakistan.

The delegation was from the Pakistani army and air force and toured several divisions and practical training areas of the school to observe the basic EOD training received by students from partner nations.

The tour showcased realistic training firsthand as they observed Maj. Qaisar Rafique, a Pakistani student at NAVSCOLEOD, negotiate an obstacle course while wearing an 80-pound bomb suit and carrying a percussion-actuated neutralizer, a tool used to render an improvised explosive device safe.

"Wearing the bomb suit gives you an idea on how a team leader must feel," said Rafique. "It definitely affects your capabilities and efficiency when trying to deal with ordnance items."

Maj. Muhammad Assad Kahn, another Pakistani student at NAVSCOLEOD, performed reconnaissance on ordnance while the delegation members observed.

"The school, the facilities and the training are excellent," said Lt. Col. Zia Ur Rehman, a member of the delegation. "The IED reconnaissance training is crucial to the difficult situations faced in Pakistan."

Each year, up to 125 students from 94 countries attend NAVSCOLEOD and are held to the same curriculum standards as their U.S. counterparts.

"There is tremendous stress and pressure at this school," added Rafique. "We learn how to deal with this stress, you cannot take chances."

Billy Martin, international military student officer reinforced that the curriculum for foreign students does not take short cuts.

"International students who complete the four-month course at NAVSCOLEOD experience stressful situations as part of their training," said Martin. "When combined with realistic training aides and instructors who teach them with the same quality of instruction given to U.S. students, they leave the schoolhouse prepared to succeed as EOD technicians in their respective countries."

"This school is quite different from what we learn in Pakistan, where we learn things from pictures in books," said Rafique. "Here, we can actually hold a rocket wrench. And the instructors are very dedicated. If I have to be on the ground to do something, they are on the ground with me."

NAVSCOLEOD, provides high-risk, specialized, basic and advanced EOD training to more than 2,100 U.S. and partner nation military and selected U.S. government personnel each year.