USA Today October 20, 2010
Far more troops survive IEDs in Afghanistan
By Tom Vanden Brook
WASHINGTON — Better battlefield treatment and faster medevac flights have helped to cut nearly in half the number of troops killed by roadside bombs in Afghanistan, military officials say.
The Pentagon says 24 troops died from the 180 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that detonated in September. One year ago, 46 troops died from 131 IEDs in September.
One improvement: Rugged ventilators distributed since 2008 to help wounded troops breathe have saved the lives of eight U.S. troops, said Army Col. Richard Todd Dombroski, surgeon for the Pentagon's Joint IED Defeat Organization. The ventilators are used aboard medevac helicopters.
"Time is life," he said.
Troops are also surviving at higher rates because the number of medevac helicopters used to transport them has increased and hospitals are located closer to troops in combat, said Air Force Maj. Michael Johnson, a military spokesman in Kabul.
Wounded troops are flown from the battlefield to a hospital about 25% faster than they were last year, according to the Pentagon. Medevac flights now take an average of 43 minutes.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates made speedy medical evacuation in Afghanistan a top priority in 2008.
IEDs remain the top killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. IEDs wound two of three troops hurt in battle. Insurgents planted 1,321 bombs that were detected or blew up in September, the third-highest monthly total in the 9-year-old war, and 16% more than in September 2009.
The near-record level of IEDs in September coincides with the deployment of the last of 30,000 additional U.S. troops ordered by President Obama to Afghanistan this year.
The all-time monthly record for IEDs was set in July when 1,374 bombs detonated or were defused.
Improved battlefield treatment shows the military has adapted to the IED threat, just as insurgents have learned to build bigger bombs to blow up armored trucks and troops, said John Pike, a military analyst and director of Globalsecurity.org.
"We learn and they learn," Pike said. "It's an interactive process. They are learning what kind of IEDs work and which don't. We learn what kind of IEDs they're setting and figure out how to diminish the effect."
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