May 31, 2004
By Sgt. John Queen, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq ? Every day, hundreds of thousands of people move from place to place throughout Baghdad tending to their business. Chances are, hidden in the midst of friendly Iraqis, there are more than a few anti-Iraqi forces making coalition troops targets of opportunity for their aggressions.
To help deter this threat, coalition forces have begun to field a new weapon throughout Iraq. Not the type of weapon that shoots bullets or lobs grenades, though, but one that ?sniffs? for explosives.
?The Vapor Tracer 2 is a new piece of equipment that has been deployed here in Iraq in the last month or two,? said Chris Miller, a security technical specialist for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in Saudi Arabia.
It was designed by General Electric Ion Track and is a hand carried device designed with an innovative type of technology that can detect and identify vapors and particles produced by numerous forms of explosives and narcotics. It uses a unique, atmospheric sampling technique that is not only extremely sensitive but speedy as well. Its detection time averages a response in four to 10 seconds per sample.
Last week, Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team took the opportunity to train with the Vapor Tracer to see how it works and most importantly how to maintain it.
?The training we did has mainly centered on maintenance of the equipment,? Miller said. ?We felt that maintenance was key to getting it deployed; it?s an important piece of equipment.?
Currently the Vapor Tracer 2 is being used at all of the checkpoints around the Green Zone to help make them more secure.
?The check points have been letting a large number of people through,? said Roy Patrick a security-engineering officer for Coalition Provisional Authority. ?Not just State Department people, not just DoD, but civilians ? everything. And it?s in our best interests (the State Department) to work as a team with the Department of Defense for everybody?s safety.?
It would be especially useful with the insurgents and anti-coalition forces that may try to enter the Green Zone according Master Sgt. Nathaniel Foreman, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery?s S-2 Noncommissioned Officer in charge and a member of Miller?s class. ?I think that the Vapor Tracer would be really helpful. It will give us a little more reaction time if our soldiers can detect that someone is involved with explosives and trying to get through a check point.?
?I think it?s a great piece of equipment ? very useful,? added Spc. James Otero, a wheel mechanic from the New Mexico Army National Guard assigned to 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment. ?I haven?t used it out in the field yet, but I?m looking forward to using it.?
Soldiers from Troop F, 9th Cavalry Regiment, used the Vapor Tracer 2 earlier this month on a mission to find a suspected cache of explosives. Though the cache was not the explosive material it was reported to be, the Vapor Tracer 2 did positively identify a substance that could be used in explosives.
?We found a large number of medium sized drums and clear plastic bags with a white power in them,? said Spc. Christopher Maust, a scout with the troop that was operating the Vapor Tracer during the mission. ?I tested it. It came up positive for a possible explosive and we called [an explosive ordnance team].?
Once the EOD crew arrived they quickly determined that the powder, although reading positive on the Vapor Tracer, was not an exceptionally high quality type of substance used in bomb making.
The detection system is designed to provide high reliability with little down time after a large detection of explosives or narcotics. It?s currently being used in civilian airports throughout the United States to check people, baggage, vehicles and cargo for explosive substances.
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