EOD Battalion Supports Domestic Response Missions

FORT LIBERTY, N.C. - A U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion confronts and defeats unexploded ordnance during domestic response missions across the eastern United States.

Army EOD techs from the 192nd Ordnance Battalion (EOD) support local, state and Federal civil authorities from east of the Mississippi River and north from South Carolina to Maine.

The Fort Liberty, North Carolina-based 192nd EOD Battalion is part of the 52nd EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military's premier multifunctional and deployable CBRNE formation.

From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command take on the world's most dangerous weapons to support military operations and domestic authorities.

The 192nd EOD Battalion is one of many EOD units in the 20th CBRNE Command that tackle unexploded ordnance both on and off base. The 20th CBRNE Command has two U.S. Army EOD groups, five EOD battalions and 32 EOD companies.

During the past two years, EOD techs from the 20th CBRNE Command have responded to an average of 1,500 discovered military munitions a year off-post and on-post.

Since civilian bomb squads are not authorized to work on military munitions due to the Military Munitions Rule in the Code of Federal Regulations, joint service EOD technicians are called when old military munitions are discovered off base.

Per DoD Directive 3025.18, DoD Instruction 3025.21 and Joint Publication 3-42, EOD technicians are the only Department of Defense personnel authorized to respond and render safe unexploded munitions and ordnance.

Lt. Col. Elizabeth A. Schwemmer, the commander of the 192nd EOD Battalion, said her EOD techs help to save lives, prevent suffering and protect property during Domestic Support to Civil Authorities missions.

Schwemmer said the 192nd EOD Battalion responded to 187 missions on-post and 40 off-post during fiscal year 2024.

"Inherently, domestic responses are unique to the continental U.S. where the EOD teams support civil authorities and follow local, state and federal Defense Support Civil Authorities requirements, and where the EOD teams provide installation support under noncombat related requests," said Schwemmer.

A native of St. Augusta, Minnesota, Schwemmer earned her bachelor's degree in physics - electro optics from St. Cloud University. She served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq.

The 192nd EOD Battalion has recently defeated a variety of unexploded ordnance, including a 12-pound cannonball, suspected pipe bomb and homemade flamethrower.

Schwemmer said civilian bomb squads often tackle unexploded ordnance off base but call on military EOD technicians when necessary.

"Commercial explosives, fireworks and potential IEDs are the local, state or Federal bomb squads' responsibility to handle unless it's on a military installation," said Schwemmer.

"Local law enforcement can request our support, and we will respond in an advisory role," said Schwemmer. "An exception is if local law enforcement is unavailable due to time and location constraints and the threat warranted immediate action, then we would respond."

The 192nd EOD Battalion has seven EOD companies stationed across Fort Liberty, North Carolina; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Fort Drum, New York. The battalion supports airborne forces, Army Rangers and Special Forces units.

Capt. Christopher H. Whelan, the commander of the battalion's 18th Ordnance Company (EOD), said the domestic response mission is a 365 day-a-year, 24-hour-a-day no fail mission.

The 18th EOD Company has three EOD teams supporting homeland response missions at a time, with teams on Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

"Most of the domestic EOD calls we receive are ordnance-based, which is a core function of EOD domestically and overseas. EOD techs are performing real-world missions on live ordnance, which also easily translates to overseas operations," said Whelan. "This gives EOD team leaders experience and the chance to learn in an environment much safer than overseas."

Whelan said EOD technicians are required to control the scene, manage their team and return the scene to normal during both domestic and overseas missions.

Originally from Carl Junction, Missouri, Whelan graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in accounting. He deployed to Iraq in 2015.

Whelan said that some missions require the EOD technicians to take on ordnance found in history books.

One of his EOD teams dealt with a Civil War era cannonball that was discovered during a construction project in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"There is historical significance when modern-day EOD techs respond to an ordnance item that is potentially 160 years old. It turns out the item had no explosive hazards at all and was just a big ball of lead," said Whelan. "Sometimes, driving five hours round trip for a ball of lead is the nature of the job."

Staff Sgt. Nicholas R. Mackowiak, an EOD team leader from the 18th EOD Company, said his team has to balance homeland response missions with preparing to serve on the Immediate Response Force with the 82nd Airborne Division.

A native of Gardner, Massachusetts, Mackowiak earned his associate's degree in applied science and certifications in forest and logging management. He joined the Army in 2018 and deployed to the U.S. Central Command Area of Operations with the 18th EOD Company.

"We have to work longer hours to make sure training is being completed," said Mackowiak. "Most importantly, I work and train with my team and make sure newer EOD soldiers are adapting to the diverse EOD mission set. If we need to respond, I want my team to be known for its expertise and discipline."

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