A NATO C-IED training course is being held at the HDF Central Training Centre in Szentendre, Hungary between August 14-27. The Iraqi and Hungarian officers who take part in the training learn how to cope with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). The NATO Training Mission in Iraq (NTM-I) initiated the training for Iraqi military officers and government experts.

There are 25 participants: 23 students and 2 interpreters. NATO attaches utmost importance to such trainings because two-thirds of the casualties in operational theatres are caused by IEDs. In order to cope with the dangers and to reduce the casualties, it is indispensable to discuss and study each other’s relevant experience. In the course of July 2010, 515 Iraqi citizens (89 soldiers, 30 police officers, and 396 civilians) lost their lives in terrorist attacks that deployed IEDs.

The Counter-IED training has been launched as the joint enterprise of NATO School Oberammergau and the HDF Central Training Centre Szentendre. The NATO School has provided the pool of instructors and the financial resources for the training.

The Hungarian Defence Forces hosts several international NATO courses – like the Special Operations training and the Public Affairs Basic Course – every year. The HDF Central Training Centre (CTC) has been organizing C-IED courses since November 2008. A Hungarian training site has been selected for the NATO training because the Hungarian Defence Forces have been successful in the instruction of counter-IED methods in international as well as in domestic courses. This has significantly enhanced HDF counter-IED capabilities.

The Hungarian MoD regards the hosting of this NATO course as an important step towards building up a regional training centre at the HDF CTC in Szentendre to serve NATO education and training.