NATO to step up efforts against improvised explosive devices with new Centre of Excellence

On 24 June, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Stéphane Abrial, hosted a signing ceremony for a new NATO Centre of Excellence to combat improvised explosive devices (IEDs). IEDs planted by insurgents have injured and claimed the lives of scores of civilians, Afghan security forces and NATO-led soldiers over the course of the Alliance’s operation in Afghanistan. The Centre, which will be based in the Spanish capital Madrid, will focus on tackling the system of IEDs and the devices themselves, and training experts in this field.