19 November 2024
Japanese and United States bombs, projectiles and grenades from World War 2 lay hidden in Solomon Islands jungles – until local police led explosive ordnance disposal teams to them during the last iteration of Operation Render Safe for 2024.
Team leader Sergeant Noah David said they wouldn’t have uncovered as many remnants without guidance of local villagers and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.
“They live and work in the dense jungle where they find a lot,” he said.
“These have been sitting there for 80 years, so the locals know where to go and where not to go.”
It was a great opportunity for officers and senior non-commissioned officers from 6th Engineer Support Regiment, with teams typically led by a sergeant or corporal, each including two explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians, a corporal and a sapper.
The teams conducted reconnaissance missions to remote communities to locate and identify explosive remnants of war before developing a disposal plan.
For large disposals, like a 118-item detonation, they evacuated homes and set up protective works to reduce hazards, such as fragmentation.
'Success in this operation came down to careful coordination and clear communication with everyone involved.'
Sergeant David said some munitions required to be rendered safe before they were removed and disposed of.
“Some items required the use of explosive tools to safely remove the fuse, allowing the item to be moved to a disposal site,” he said.
They worked with Solomon Islands Police to manage evacuations, community notices and landowner agreements.
One of the senior explosive ordnance disposal technicians, Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Brett Hitchins, said it was driven by collaboration.
“Success in this operation came down to careful coordination and clear communication with everyone involved,” WO2 Hitchins said.
“At the team level, I think the main learning point was personnel being comfortable around munitions, realising their abilities and their training, and that they can do this job for real.”
They focused on hazard assessment and understanding munitions to determine safe handling procedures.
“That was what we can and can't do around that munition,” WO2 Hitchins said.
It was also the first time he managed international troops on operations at his level, including US and Canadian personnel.
“Some big takeaways were the difference in the allowable actions for some of our coalition partners,” WO2 Hitchins said.
The Americans followed a strict structure, keeping the team leader paired with their designated second-in-command, whereas Australians used more flexibility to move personnel around.
WO2 Hitchins provided technical oversight and guided Operation Render Safe commanders on managing tasks.
The teams reported munitions findings to him, which he analysed before advising the commander on options – who then made the decision to blow in place, relocate or render safe.
The operation provided practical experience, especially for newer team members on live tasks.
'Some items required the use of explosive tools to safely remove the fuse, allowing the item to be moved to a disposal site.'
Captain Johan Cillie had just completed his EOD course and was a troop commander during the operation, overseeing multinational teams.
“The challenge was the integration with other nations, how they function and how to bring it all together and form one synchronised team,” Captain Cillie said.
He said working with local authorities and managing diverse teams was rewarding and tested his leadership.
“Having a lot of control and pre-approvals given down to the teams and to myself while being dislocated from our regimental headquarters, made it a successful operation and a professionally rewarding time,” Captain Cillie said.
The 18-day operation included 14 days dedicated to disposal, with other days allocated for training, setup and equipment pack-up.
This was the 20th iteration of Operation Render Safe and the largest land-based iteration to date, with the most explosive ordnance detonated in a single operation.
“I spend the days working with a bunch of like-minded guys and girls that like blowing stuff up; it’s a lot of work but we blew stuff up at the end of the day, and ultimately made the islands a safer place,” WO2 Hitchins said.
