Reference LurkingKuna post below.....
LurkingKuna said:
Guys, Heres one for you: I work with former UK Ammo techs and engrs and recent pers who have left the Royal engineers eod and what the open source proposed possible future plan is in the UK is way ahead of what canada is still messing around with
etc....
He is basically out to lunch on this.
LurkingKuna is wrapping up a bunch of rumours that have existed for years and are not reality based.
While it is true in the UK that there is some realignment ongoing with regard to the location of training facilities coupled with some changes to command structures; from a delineation of responsibilities things are pretty much as they were. That is the RLC tend to lead on IEDD and the RE's on EOD (their traditional BD role). However the RE's have IEDD trained pers and the RLC fully trained EOD pers. There are no moves a foot to create a new EOD Regiment combining capabilities. The operational commitment of EOD assets takes place under the auspices of the Joint Service EOD group. In the UK it often comes down to geography in that the closest EOD unit deploys, even though who should do what in the first instance (Army/Navy/Air Force EOD) is clearly defined.
So from the RE perspective, EOD remains a secondary employment stream for UK Sappers pretty much the way it is in Canada, the key difference is while serving with an EOD Regt that is all they do. The UK Forces have a much larger capability that is true, but we are expanding capabilities adjusting to the operational reality.
Given the lethality of modern weapons I believe that full time teams are the way ahead (in fact they are a must). An fully equipped capability should remain embedded in each CER, with an enlarged grouping under the auspices of 4 ESR and additional capability grouped/committed as required. We should continue to select team pers from the mainstream 043 trade but advanced training only given to team members or pers designated to join a team. So my endstate is full time EOD, but I do not see the need for a separate trade; the US model.
So with that said are we 100 years behind, I think not.
Finally, opening the who does what jar again, and given the fact that Ammo Techs really only have an IEDD and EOD responsibility within Canada, from a deployed operations perspective I think the move of IEDD/EOD trg to CFSME is a good thing if it happens. Ammo Techs should be continue to be IEDD trained in the short term, but as we do not deploy Ammo Tech EOD platoons are we gaining much by training them at all. EOD trained Air Weapons Techs is another issue; they survive the cull in the EOD world according to me as the Air Force needs and will continue to need it's own unique EOD capability. Given an IEDD quota the Air Force they could also provide teams for Domestic ops, the same could be said for the Ammo Tech world.
Next......