5 March 2024
Andy Grantham MIExpE
After fifteen years working in the British Army and several international jobs, I took on a role in the UN MINUSMA Mission in Mali, West Africa — where I was tasked with training and mentoring Cambodian Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams. I knew early on that building relationships would be key for being able to successfully teach the skills required to handle high-pressure situations such as rendering safe improvised explosive devices or securing the aftermath of an attack.
I leaned into psychology and reflected about communication a lot. It didn’t take long, and I became totally embedded in the teams, together we ate, drank, trained, and went on patrol in the desert for up to two weeks at a time, living in the field, and more often than not, spending hours digging out our sixteen-tonne vehicle which frequently got stuck in the sand. Missions were supported by up to 25 individuals from commanders, operation officers, force protection officers, cooks, as well as the three EOD experts.
My biggest sense of achievement came from assisting the first Cambodian EOD team to ever become accredited — meaning they could go out and work on their own without support or supervision. They overcame many struggles particularly with the equipment — imagine having to work in the searing 40°C desert heat in a bomb suit which is not only heavy, but far too big in size. Many times we had to improvise solutions with whatever equipment we had available. The threats were very real as convoys were attacked on a regular basis, and we often encountered improvised explosive devices or were shot at. Being the only civilian on a UN convoy can be a strange dynamic at first, but I have fond memories of my time as a trainer and mentor.
#TogetherAgainstMines