Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Countermeasures in Iraq

James Ziegler
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, MD

ABSTRACT
IEDs are currently the highest cause of US casualties in Iraq. Although the term "IED" in the past was used to describe booby-traps, they have mutated to a much deadlier form. Past IEDs were detonated using a timer or concealed trip-wire. In the last ten years, local RF controllers became available for such applications as garage-door openers, unlocking car doors, remote door bells, etc. These cheap and common devices could be used to detonate IEDs against troops and vehicles from remote locations, with little exposure. 

This talk will review the use of IEDs in Iraq, and the current countermeasures being used. New research is beginning to point to ways to deactivate the RF controls without detonation of the explosives using particle beams. But the main purpose of the talk will be to show how expertise in fields like nuclear engineering can be applied to significant national problems for which there are no direct solutions.

Speaker Bio
James Ziegler is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering at the United States Naval Academy. He is the author of SRIM, a widely used software package for ion interactions with matter. He is the author/editor of 23 books, mostly on integrated circuit technology, and has written more than 200 papers. He is a Fellow of both the IEEE and the APS.