FAIRFAX, Va.—George Mason University has been awarded a contract by the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO)—valued at more than $7 million if fully funded over three years—for research and development to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The project, which will be housed in the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering's Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing and Intelligence (C4I), will use modeling techniques to identify practical ways to defeat IEDs as a weapon of strategic influence.
The project will be led by Mason professors of systems engineering and operations research Kathryn Laskey and Andrew Loerch who will analyze and model initiatives to effectively counteract the IED problem in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world, as well as try to understand how the insurgency will evolve.
Pentagon data shows that approximately 70 percent of combat deaths in Iraq have been caused by roadside bombs, the most common IED, making them the number one killer of U.S. troops there. U.S. Central Command indicates that while the number of deaths from roadside bombs in Iraq has fallen, their usage in Afghanistan is rising. IEDs are expected to be a weapon of choice for insurgents for many years to come.
"When you talk about IEDs you think about a bomb sitting on the side of the road, but it really is more extensive than that. IEDs also include vehicle born IEDs and personnel born IEDs, suicide car bombs or a suicide bomber," says Loerch. "It's not just about the bomb buried or lying next to the road. The planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, and the London and Madrid train bombings are also examples of IEDs. Our task is to find a way to adapt to and mitigate a constantly evolving threat."
Mason is collaborating with researchers from other organizations working with JIEDDO on the IED problem. The research seeks to understand the interaction between actions taken by coalition forces and the behavior of the IED threat. A better understanding of this interaction is important to evaluating the contribution of initiatives JIEDDO funds to the counter-IED fight.
Examples of some of these initiatives include using equipment that can jam an IED detonator (such as a garage door opener), IED detection devices (radar), improved methods for safely dismantling IEDs, as well as putting people in position to analyze data and interacting with the local population to establish trust and communication.
"One of the biggest modeling challenges is that the threat adapts and there is an extensive assortment of IEDs. Every time you think you've got them all covered, the insurgents come up with a new strategy because they are trying to be inventive and everything we do to try to stop them, they seem to figure out a way to get around it," says Laskey. "Our hope is that our models, or at least the methods we come up with for dealing with IEDs, will be robust in most situations that would arise in the future—including IEDs in the U.S. and the rest of the world."
The contract also contains options which, if exercised, would bring the total value of the contract to almost $10.4 million. Work is expected to be completed in January 2012.
About The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering
Since its founding, The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering has enjoyed more than 20 years of significant accomplishments, including being the first in the nation to establish a PhD program in information technology and becoming a nationally recognized leader in several important research areas. The school's award-winning faculty, along with its relationship with the Washington, D.C., metro area technology industry, is fundamental to its success. Through partnerships with a wide range of companies and individuals, the Volgenau School is always working to identify next-generation technology and how it can meet the needs of industry and better serve the community, the region and the nation.
About George Mason University
Named the #1 national university to watch by U.S. News & World Report, George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in the heart of Northern Virginia's technology corridor near Washington, D.C., Mason prepares its students to succeed in the work force and meet the needs of the region and the world. With strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, dance, organizational psychology and health care, Mason students are routinely recognized with national and international scholarships. Mason professors conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology and the biosciences, and Mason's Center for the Arts brings world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage.