Europe’s largest counter-IED exercise Bison Counter concluded in Spain

Europe, News November 27, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

European Defense Agency (EDA) conducted the largest-ever exercise Bison Counter 2023 to combat improvised explosive devices (IEDs). More than 1,000 European forces from 16 countries participated in the joint training exercise in Spain.

The Bison Counter 2023 exercise was hosted by the Spanish Armed Forces for 12 days. During the exercise, European military personnel and trainers conducted more than 270 training scenarios.

The active participants of the exercise included Spain, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Slovenia. The United States, Romania, Sweden, and Latvia took part in the exercise as observers. Although Norway and Luxembourg are also member states of the exercise projects, their armed forces did not take part in the Bison Counter 2023 exercise.

The main objective of the Bison Counter 2023 was to train the full spectrum of the Counter-IED concept in a multi-level domain from tactical to operational. The allied forces took a multi-domain approach with land and maritime deployments across Cartagena and Zaragoza, in Spain.

According to the EDA statement, the exercise achieved “The highest level of full-spectrum C-IED training, role players and more than 300 vehicles were employed, including Centaurs from the Spanish 11 Cavalry Regiment, RG-31s, Huskies, armored JCBs, VAMTACs, Mk5s and Infantry Piranhas, to name a few.”

“During the live exercise, all tasks were observed to provide an after-action review as a baseline for the lessons identified/lessons learned (LI/LL) process,” the EDA statement added.

Bison Counter 2023 counter-IED concept exercise — ^{BC23 C-IED concept is based on a full-spectrum, multi-level, and multi-domain approach, integrating the intelligence cycle which allows interconnection among all levels. (Image Credit: European Defense Agency)}

The multi-domain approach of Bison Counter 2023

• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD),
• Military Working Dogs (K9),
• Underwater Work (UW),
• Route Clearance Package (RCP),
• Weapons Intelligence Team (WIT),
• European Centre of Manual Neutralization Capabilities (ECMAN)
• Joint Deployable Laboratory for Exploitation and Analysis (JDEAL)

During the exercise, the participating forces simulated real-world scenarios and detected suspected IEDs using Route Clearance (RC), Military Working Dogs (K9), and Underwater Work (UW). In addition, the EDA Program Military Search Capability Building (MSCB) also participated in the counter-IED operations.

After confirming the suspected IED, the Task Force used various techniques to counter the threat. The most effective and commonly used approach of tasking Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) was employed. The European Centre of Manual Neutralization Capabilities program of EDA delivered courses to the participating forces to help them improve their skills.

*^{Soldiers participating in Bison Counter 2023 exercise to combat improvised explosive devices. (Image Credit: Spanish Armed Forces)}*

After the forces eliminated the suspected IED threat, the process of evidence collection for further investigation began. According to the EDA statement, “This is usually done by a Weapon Intelligence Team (WIT) or similar capabilities (Level 1 exploitation). The collected evidence is forwarded for Level 2 Exploitation, a capability provided by another EDA program, the Joint Deployable Laboratory for Exploitation and Analysis (JDEAL). The results provide information on enemy techniques, tactics, and procedures (TTP), which can be used in further operational planning and thus contribute directly to the preparation of forces (PtF).”

Next year, the allies will conduct a workshop to review the complete exercise and share the lessons identified and learned during the course of the exercise. The next iteration of the Bison Counter exercise will be hosted by the Netherlands in 2025.