NATO to Deploy Mobile Counter-IED Labs by Late 2011

31 Mar 2011 By JULIAN HALE

BRUSSELS - NATO's Special Operations Forces headquarters is working to put mobile counter-IED labs in theater by the end of this year. The aim is to have "a dedicated lab functional in theater by the fall of 2011," a NATO official told Defense News. The labs would analyze forensic data from found or exploded IEDs and exploit technical data from equipment such as captured cell phones and personal computers. The fight against IEDs comes under three main headings: defeating the device (detecting it/dismantling it); training (how to identify IEDs and IED activity); and attacking the network (the human element).