In Hoyo de Manzanares, Madrid

The Defense Attaché to the Canadian Embassy in Madrid visits the C-IED COE

The Defense Attaché to the Canadian Embassy in Madrid, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eric Willrich, visited the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices – Centre of Excellence (C-IED COE), where he was welcomed by the director of the Centre, Spanish Colonel Javier Corbacho Margallo.

During the visit, in which the Defense Attaché was accompanied by a delegation of military and civilian staff from the Canadian Embassy, the COE’s director gave a presentation about the research, analysis and training activities carried out at the Centre, reference for NATO in the C-IED fight.

In said presentation, a specific aspect of the fight against IEDs was highlighted: that the explosive devices and their effects are not the only elements to be taken into consideration, but also all the networks that have previously designed, prepared and placed such devices. In this sense, the COE focuses on intelligence and the preparation of the Force.

The accession process of Canada as sponsoring nation of the C-IED COE was broadly discussed. The North American country requested to be part of the COE in 2021 and, although administrative issues have delayed the accession, the process is expected to finish before the end of 2025, with the signature by all current sponsoring nations of the Note of Accession in the Memorandum of Understanding.

The Defense Attaché also had the chance to meet the Canadian personnel who already works at the Centre, as a voluntary contribution from Canada since the accession process formally started.

The visit ended with a tour to the COE’s facilities, during which Lieutenant Colonel Willrich was very impressed, especially by the explanation he received at the Centre’s lab, where IEDs from different origins, periods and typology are analyzed and displayed.