Although IEDs are among the world’s oldest types of weapons, the increased use of IEDs as a weapon of choice by non-state armed groups has been a clear trend in recent years. IEDs impede humanitarian access and impact on civilians, international relief agencies and clearance organisations. As a consequence, the mine action sector is increasingly being called upon to help to address the humanitarian impact of the widespread use of IEDs in recent conflicts.

The IMAS IEDD Level 3 (IEDD Operator) Course is for those who are IMAS EOD Level 3 as a minimum or equivalent, and have already completed the IMAS IEDD L1 (IEDD Searcher) and IEDD L2 (IEDD Assistant) courses, or who hold equivalent military or law enforcement Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (IEDD) qualifications. Building on the skills of a Level 1 and 2 (IEDD) qualification, this four-week course qualifies successful candidates to conduct render-safe procedures and final disposal of IEDs in a permissive environment and gives those wanting to step up to a higher level the ability to enhance both their skill set and their employability on both national-security and humanitarian IEDD contracts

On successful completion of the course, students will have acquired the requisite knowledge, skills and methodology necessary to manage and execute all aspects of an IEDD task. This includes the location, identification, rendering safe and final disposal of all types of IED encountered during urban and rural permissive HMA operations.

Mine action organisations may be called upon to conduct IEDD activities within any context and therefore need to be mindful of the requirements associated with the specific task or operation being conducted. The layout and complexity of the operating context has a significant bearing on the skill sets required to safely carry out IEDD as part of a larger mine action intervention.

Traditionally the guidance provided in International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) has reflected the fact that mine action activities have focused mainly on mitigating the risks posed by explosive ordnance (EO) produced and assembled to formally specified set of manufacturing standards. This course – comprising the following core competencies, has been developed in order to meet the criteria laid down in the recent IMAS 09.31 (IEDD) which complements the existing EOD guidance for mine action operations.