11
Summer 2015
Fort Polk, Louisiana. Four additional rotations are planned
for fscal year 2016.
One of the more complex CTC rotations was National
Training Center 14-08, which was part of a larger 20th
CBRNE Command exercise, Atropian Phoenix 14, that dem-
onstrated the CBRNE task force concept and its role within
the greater CBRNE enterprise. This distributed command
post and feld training exercise integrated the 20th CBRNE
Command operational command post at Edgewood, Mary-
land, with the tactical command post of the Headquarters,
48th Chemical Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; the Headquar-
ters, 52d Ordnance Group (EOD), Fort Campbell, Kentucky;
and CBRNE Task Force 110, Joint Base Lewis-McChord,
Washington, at the National Training Center.
At the National Training Center, CBRNE Task
Force 110—composed of chemical reconnaissance and
decontamination units; EOD units; chemical, biological, ra-
diological, nuclear, and explosives response teams (CRTs);
an NDT; and a heavy, mobile, expeditionary laboratory
(HMEL) (Figure 3, page 13)—supported the 2d Stryker Bri-
gade Combat Team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The
task force conducted CBRNE operations throughout the area
of responsibility to protect U.S. forces from enemy CBRNE
employment, enable freedom of movement and maneuver,
and support CBRNE counterforce operations by securing
and exploiting hazardous sites to prevent enemy production,
use, or proliferation of WMD or CBRNE material. The task
force formation allowed the integration of capabilities under
a single commander; otherwise, the assignment of multiple,
potentially separate command and support relationships
would have been required throughout the supported brigade
combat team.
Figure 1. Proposed CBRNE brigade task force organization
Legend:
AML—area medical laboratory
CMU—consequence management unit
GS—general schedule
MTOE—modifed table of organization and equipment
OPCON—operational control
TRA—training readiness authority