Marc McDonald: $10 Billion Pentagon Program Fails To Defeat IED Threat In Iraq Taking a look at the latest troop casualties from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq, it quickly becomes apparent that IEDs remain a lethal threat to the U.S. military. In April, May and June, IEDs killed at least 54 U.S. troops, causing over half the 104 combat deaths suffered by the military in those three months. It's clear that the U.S. military's $10 billion program to defeat the IED threat isn't working.