Brian Castner is a former explosive ordnance disposal officer, or EOD officer, who served in the Air Force during the Iraq War. Castner deployed twice, in 2004 and 2006, as a commander of an EOD unit at the Balad and Kirkuk air bases, respectively.
After leaving the military in 2007, Castner worked as a military contractor before turning to writing. Since 2018, he has worked at Amnesty International as a weapons and war crime investigator, becoming the head of crisis research in 2024. In that role, Castner has traveled to conflict areas around the world such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
Castner breaks down the rigorous training and preparation for EOD service, in which a single mistake can be fatal, as well as his transition into war crime investigation amid rising global tensions and rapidly increasing weapons production.
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