'˚ISS TRAINING
'˚SNAPPERJACK
INTELLIGENCE
COUNTER MEASURES
The cell phone ‘trigger’ was also used in the devastating Madrid train bombings
Warlock Red & Warlock Green s the Pentagon strives for a solution to the IED menace in Iraq, defence scientists from a number of America’s most prestigious research facilities are engaged in secret work that could help thwart future attacks. From microwave explosions, chemical sensors, radio jammers and cell phone blockers, the US defence industry has speeded up some extraordinary projects.
cannot make contact, therefore when it can’t make contact it doesn’t detonate. It’s like the cell phone [call] never gets through, but enemy forces thinks it goes through.”
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They are not 100% foolproof but do offer some protection against the bomb. Daniel Goure, vice president of the Lexington Institute, a Washington DC think tank said: “You need to find the right frequency in order to stop it. And that’s not easy, with all of these cell phones and garage door openers being used to trigger the IEDs.”
However, one programme manager at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), has admitted there is no “magic bullet.” Cliff Anderson notes that anything from a radio-controlled toy car to an automatic garage opener can provide the trigger to detonate an IED. America’s foot soldiers have suffered more casualties than any other force in Iraq, thus it is no surprise to learn that the US Army has purchased thousands of radio-frequency jammers from Simi Valley, California, EDO Communications & Countermeasures.
Yet the US research facilities are definitely getting close to a major breakthrough, and Goure believes the answer may be just around the
The devices are called Warlock Green and Warlock Red and intercept signals intended to detonate IEDs. A US Army official said: “The signal
corner. “Effective IED countermeasures might be a pulse of electromagnetic energy that fries the circuits of these bombs,” he said. Two other Pentagon-backed projects are also moving apace. Scientists at the Naval Surface Center’s Dahlgren Laboratory in Virginia are involved with a project called NIED Neutralizing Improvised Explosive Devices [some refer to it as NIRF]. The device works by emitting a very high-frequency field in the microwave range. If NIRF is a somewhat strange name then how about PING? Ping is already operational in Iraq and sends out waves from a device carried inside the Humvee vehicle. The waves seek metal and bounces the signal straight back. Many weapons’ cashes have already been uncovered using PING. The Office of Naval Research has also sponsored several firms on a “change
direction” programme. By using advanced intelligent video-processing software, operators can survey a street scene on Monday, for example, and then review the scene hours later to look for objects such as garbage, a broken down vehicle or anything that is new to the scene. However, garbage accumulates in cities and the task is still formidable... but serious efforts are already underway to thwart the dangers of IEDs.
Protection Against Explosives WASHINGTON: US Naval Research Laboratory researchers have developed new flexible arm and leg protective armour for marines and soldiers optimizing blast protection, mobility, weight and comfort. The lightweight armour can be used by vehicle crews, breaching parties in urban operations, security and support operations, sentry and checkpoint duty, and roadside patrols.
The Pentagon’s Quick Response to the Threat of Cell Phone-IEDs
Weapons, detonators and special electronic equipment recently recovered in Iraq
COURTESY US NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY
The armour is designed to reduce the likelihood of severe injuries by protecting against the large number of smaller blast fragments generated by weapons and improvised explosive devices. It provides much protection against objects that fragment, whilst also providing protection against blast pressure waves and thermal flash.
COURTESY US ARMY
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