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

Lieutenant Colonel Willrich was accompanied by a delegation of military and civilian personnel from the Canadian Embassy. During the visit, Colonel Corbacho Margallo delivered a comprehensive presentation on the Centre’s core mission areas, including research, analysis, and training activities that position the C-IED COE as NATO’s reference institution in the fight against improvised explosive devices.

A key point of the presentation emphasized that the threat posed by IEDs extends beyond the devices themselves to include the complex networks involved in their design, preparation, and deployment. Accordingly, the Centre’s work focuses heavily on intelligence support and force preparation to counter these threats effectively.

One of the main topics discussed was the ongoing accession process of Canada as a sponsoring nation of the C-IED COE. Canada formally requested to join the Centre in 2021. Although the process has experienced administrative delays, it is expected to conclude by the end of 2025 with the signing of the Note of Accession to the Centre’s Memorandum of Understanding by all current sponsoring nations.

Lieutenant Colonel Willrich also had the opportunity to meet Canadian personnel currently serving at the Centre as part of Canada’s voluntary contribution, provided in anticipation of formal sponsorship.

The visit concluded with a tour of the C-IED COE’s facilities, including a stop at the Centre’s laboratory. Lieutenant Colonel Willrich expressed particular interest in the lab’s work, where IEDs from various origins, time periods, and typologies are analyzed and displayed.