Defence Forces lead EU project to protect against‘ dirty bombs’
THE Irish Defence Forces are the lead agency in a major EU project to minimise the risk to the lives of crime scene investigators in a “dirty bomb” attack.
Work on the project has been stepped up in the wake of last month’s nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England, which left former Russian military intelligence officer-turned-British spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, critically ill.
One of the police officers who responded quickly to the attack, Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, also fell seriously ill after he was affected by the military grade nerve agent, known as Novichok.
All three have since been discharged from hospital.
The project is aimed at developing the use of robots and drones in reacting to similar attacks and in reducing the dangers to investigators who are involved in the collection of physical evidence, and preserving the chain of custody.
The research has already received €4.78m funding from the EU Horizon 2020 programme and recently passed a midterm review that allows the work to continue for a further 18 months.
Senior Defence Forces ordnance officer Lieut Col Ray Lane, who is in charge of the project, told the Irish Independent that the work was “fundamentally changing” how chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats are assessed.
“Apart from minimising the risk to life, it will also maximise the use of technology, both robots and UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], and the result will be a significantly enhanced capability in this area,” he added.
Complexity
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, said: “The increasing complexity we are facing means that we need to find collaborative answers to get the best solutions.
“The project is a shining example of how end users, researchers and the private sector can combine to answer our wicked problems,” he added.
The Defence Forces’ ordnance corps, which is internationally recognised for its explosive ordnance disposal capability as a result of its work in overseas peace missions and in dealing with the bomb threat posed at home in the past by the Provisional IRA and, more recently, dissident terrorists, is leading the project for the military.
Also involved are NUI Galway, the Tyndall National Institute in Cork, the Tralee-based company Reamda, which develops military and engineering projects, and other national and international partners.
Members of the consortium yesterday visited the Air Corps headquarters at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Co Dublin, where young officers were taking part in a two-day exercise in dealing with the threat from chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attacks.