The risks of being a combat engineer

Combat engineers provide essential support to all areas of the army during operations and peacetime.

For people who haven’t served in the military, it might seem that combat engineers take on less danger compared to personnel in other departments. 

But the truth is that combat engineers face substantial risks in the line of duty. In this article, we’ll explain the risks of being a combat engineer in detail.

• Risks during training

Military training involves intense physical training. In and of itself, this exposes new recruits to fatigue and mental health problems – not to mention physical injuries.  

According to data published by the Ministry of Defence, more than 150 personnel died during while on training or exercise since the year 2000. More than two-thirds of these occurred in the army – the branch of the armed forces that engineers serve under. In addition to this, research has found that more than half of new recruits sustain at least one injury during training. 

Deaths and injuries can be sustained during training for a variety of reasons, including:

• Faulty or unsafe equipment
• Wrong or inadequate PPE
• Unsafe work practices

Most of these causes stem from oversight and a lack of preparation. This will often lead to military claims that seek to win compensation for the injured trainee.

• Risks on deployment

ON deployment, life as a combat engineer can be significantly dangerous. In fact, it can be more dangerous than many other positions within the military. 

As an engineer you’re deployed into situations that are similar to those you’d experience as a standard infantryman. The difference is that, instead of focusing on protecting yourself and fighting back, you’ll be tasked with other tasks that are critical to moving the mission forward.

These include but aren’t limited to:

• Removing mines
• Checking for IEDs
• And constructing infrastructure such as bridges, y, and z

You’ll need to perform these tasks while under fire from the enemy. You see, even though engineers aren’t often sent out to meet the enemy, they’ll often seek engineers out of their own accord. The enemy recognise that if they eliminate engineers, then the fighting will stop until more engineers arrive. 

For this reason, engineers are often subject to ambushes and traps – and while performing engineering tasks, you’ll often be vulnerable to enemy fire.

• Risks after combat

As is often seen with other military units, engineers suffer the effects of prolonged exposure to combat and trauma after deployment.The consequences of participating in warfare are considerable. Studies have shown that the prevalence mental illness tends to increase after deployment. Suffering from PTSD, hostility, sleeping problems, depression, and anxiety are all included in the possible risks that combat engineers take on when they enlist.