Practical Military Ordnance Identification, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations)

The threat variables associated with military ordnance are enormous, requiring the application of a structured process to identify unknown munitions. The focus of Practical Military Ordnance Identification, Second Edition is the application of a practical deductive process to identify unknown ordnance items that are commonly recovered outside military control.

The author supplies a seven-step procedure to identify unknown munitions by their category, group, and type. Detailed logic trees help users narrow down the possibilities in order to accurately identify ordnance. The book covers the safety precautions associated with each category and group of ordnance. It describes many ordnance construction characteristics and explains the fundamentals of military ordnance fuzing. Appendices define terms and supply abbreviations and acronyms used to describe military ordnances.

Coverage new to this edition include: a list of conventional markings; additional safety precautions to take; an expanded list of high explosives; additional technical details on explosives effects; hazards associated with pyrotechnics, pyrophorics, smoke compounds, and incendiaries; a section on pre-1870 projectiles, hand grenades, landmines, underwater ordnances, and rockets; and details on Man-Portable-Air-Defense-Systems (MANPADS) missile systems.

Tom Gersbeck served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician

in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring in 2001 as a Chief Warrant Officer. He

then served seven years with the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) as an

explosives security specialist before deploying as an independent contractor.

Deployments include two tours in Afghan CEXC facilities and one tour as

project manager of Task Force Paladin’s C-IED mobile training teams operating

throughout the country. Deployments supporting Department of State

as an EOD team lead in Iraq, advising the Tanzanian Peoples Defense Force

after the Gongo La Mboto disaster (Feb 2011) and training deminers with

Golden West Humanitarian Foundation in Cambodia.

Today, Tom is a full-time member of the graduate faculty for Oklahoma

State University’s School of Forensic Sciences, Arson-Explosives, Firearms

& Toolmarks Investigation (AEFTI) program. He holds a master of forensic

sciences (MFS) degree, is an active member of the International Association

of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI), is a Fellow in the American

Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), and continues to work in his field.

Technical Researcher

Daniel Evers joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and currently serves as

an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician. While stationed in

California, North Carolina, and Japan, Daniel deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan,

Romania, Latvia, and Georgia in support of combat operations, responding

to IED and ordnance related calls for assistance, and training personnel

responsible for EOD-related work. However, Daniel’s advanced technical

ordnance knowledge and research abilities were developed during countless

inerting and disassembling operations on ordnance ranging from the mid-

1800s to the complex guided missile systems of today