NATO C-IED Centre of Excellence hosts 'Interagency Workshop 2023' Seminar

• The Interagency Workshop 2023 (IAWS23) is a biennial event focusing on knowledge and intelligence on the functioning of human networks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The Interagency Workshop 2023 (IAWS23), organised by the Centre of Excellence against Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED CoE), began today in León and will continue until 11 September at the Parador de León.

The Seminar was inaugurated by the Brigadier General of the Field Artillery Command, Vicente Torres Vázquez, who highlighted the work carried out over the years by the C-IED CoE and all the organisations present in pursuit of global security and, therefore, the consequent reduction in casualties caused by IEDs.

The Mayor of León, José Antonio Diez Díaz, welcomed the IAWS23 participants to the city. He underlined the importance of this type of event to achieve a higher level of security worldwide.

Finally, the Colonel Director of the C-IED CoE, Javier Corbacho Margallo, thanked the participants for their attendance and the support received from the León authorities involved in the organisation of the event.

The opening of the Seminar was also attended by representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps and of the military units present in León.

The seminar brings together military, police and civilian experts from NATO and its partners, the European Union and other national and international bodies involved in the fight against terrorism and violent extremist organisations, as well as experts in attacking the centre's networks. In total, almost seventy participants from fourteen different nations.

This year's seminar is aimed at understanding the dynamics of threats, anticipating their evolution and seeking inter-agency effects in the fight against C-IEDs. As in previous editions, the seminar will be attended by national and international speakers from renowned organisations such as the FBI, Guardia Civil, Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, various NATO CoEs and the world intelligence community. Throughout the three days of conferences, updates on threats, evolving trends and different points of view on the subject will be shared, which will undoubtedly lead to an improvement in current procedures and inter-agency collaboration.

IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

The Centre of Excellence against Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED CoE), one of 28 NATO Accredited Centres of Excellence, is located in Hoyo de Manzanares, Madrid.

Its mission is to provide expert support to NATO, NATO partners and the International Community in countering the IED System in order to increase the security of deployed troops by reducing or eliminating the IED threat, especially from terrorist and insurgent networks and any emerging threats resulting from rapidly changing global scenarios.

The C-IED CoE was offered by Spain to NATO as part of its network of Centres of Excellence and first accredited by the Alliance in November 2010. In April 2023, it underwent a new accreditation process, with a result that was "extremely satisfactory" to the Alliance's interests