NATO Defence Attachés visit the Improvised Explosive Device Center of Excellence

• Seven attachés visited the C-IED COE facilities to learn about the work carried out at the center.

A representation of the Defence attachés accredited in Spain, accompanied by the Head of the Attaché Area of the General Directorate of Defence Policy, Colonel Luis Moreno Esteban, visited the Center of Excellence against Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED COE) on Tuesday, January 23, where they were received by its director, Colonel Javier Corbacho Margallo, and by the most representative members of the 12 nations that support the Center located in Spain.

During the visit, the attachés received a presentation by the director on the multiple research, analysis and training activities of the Center and its positioning as a NATO reference center in the fight against C-IEDs, and then visited its facilities. Colonel Corbacho stressed the importance of the fight against IED systems, which not only includes the explosive and its effects, but all the previous networks that lead to its design, preparation and placement. The intelligence and training of the Force in these aspects are the focus of the Center.

Among the attachés were those from Germany, Romania, Türkiye and the United States, who have personnel from their respective countries assigned at the Center, and who took the opportunity to learn first-hand about the work they do. Also present was the attaché from Canada who, although he has personnel already at the Center, is not yet an official part of it. Finally, the attachés from the United Kingdom and Poland, whose countries are not part of the Center, were also present and were able to learn about the benefits of being part of the world's leading center of reference in C-IED matters.

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AGAINST IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES

The Improvised Explosive Devices Center of Excellence is one of the 29 NATO Accredited Centers of Excellence, and is located in the Madrid town of Hoyo de Manzanares. It has an international staff composed of military personnel of twelve nationalities, including members of the Armed Forces who, together with members of other military and civilian agencies, serve both in the international staff of experts and in its support and administration element.

Its mission is to provide expert support to NATO, NATO partners and the International Community in the fight against 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 from any type of emerging threat resulting from rapidly changing global scenarios.

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