Ed Toy Pays Tribute to IED Heroes in PRESSURE PLATE

Period news coverage of (Improvised Explosive Device) IED attacks and insurgents use of roadside bombs peppers the news weekly - this is a threat that will remain constant as the global community addresses terrorism. "PRESSURE PLATE" by Ed Toy tells the story of those brave U.S., Coalition and Afghan forces dedicated to defeating the IED network in Southern Afghanistan. Their story is one of inspiration and dedication - as 2008-2009 mark some of the deadliest IED attacks on International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the entire war in Afghanistan. This book also shows how the U.S. and Coalition forces developed an aggressive Counter IED (CIED) campaign to defeat the IED's in Southern Afghanistan. The personnel and resources dedicated to this CIED campaign were enormous both from a financial investment and human investment as well. In the end - the CIED campaign was one of the most aggressive and innovative to date, resulting in a significant reduction of IED attacks in Regional Command -South (RC-South)that undoubtedly saved countless military and civilian lives.

The comments and observations made by the author are drawn from his personal experience while serving as the Chief of Counter-IED operations in Regional Command-South and the Deputy Commander for Joint Task Force Paladin at Kandahar Airfield. Col. Toy's perspective is not necessarily the official viewpoint of the US military or the contributing nations to the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) however, much of the research and commentary are taken from actual events either drawn from the authors own personal experience or directly from US and ISAF forces conducting C-IED operations during the bloodiest year of the Afghan war. This story is told through the lens of the author with periodic references to key people who played a significant role in the development and implementation of the CIED campaign.

"PRESSURE PLATE" gives a rare glimpse into a little known but very dangerous mission of defeating IED's - the main weapon of choice of the Taliban. The author hopes that readers will understand the magnitude of the IED threat in RC- South. This book is a semi- technical read with some degree of candid reflection of the part of the author - it is a compilation of all the aspects of what a Counter IED campaign tried to achieve - ultimate sustained freedom of movement in order to accelerate the installment of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA). Col. Toy believes that having a greater appreciation for the current situation is one of the ways in making a country safe for its citizen to live a meaningful, prosperous life without tyranny and torment.

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About the Author

Colonel Ed Toy was deployed to Southern Afghanistan where he served as the Chief of Staff for Joint Task Force Paladin and chief Counter-IED (CIED) Branch International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. His contribution to this mission include; establishing one of the first ever IED Defeat training lanes for the Afghanistan Army. As part of his responsibilties, Col. Toy initiated the integration of a new technology designed to detect specific aspects of IED components that served to pinpoint the locations of IEDs along routes frequently traveled by US-NATO forces. Col. Toy served as the inaugural Director for the Asia-Pacific C-IED fusion Center from 2009-2010 loacted at Fort Shafter Hawaii where he stood up an IED focused Center dedicated to training PAXCOM forces on C-IED operations to units that may be required to conduct operations in an IED threat environment both in CENTCOM and PACOM AORs. His efforts have also served to foster enhanced regional partnering among PACOM partners- through a series of subject exchanges on the topic of CIED. Col. Toy has a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Biology from UC Santa Barbara, Masters Degree in Environmental Science from University of Denver, and a Master Degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.

PRESSURE PLATE* by Ed Toy
A perspective on Counter IED Operations in Southern Afghanistan 2008-2009
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 189 pages; 978-1-4836-9100-8
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 189 pages; 978-1-4836-9101-5
eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4836-9102-2

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