Army Chemical Review

WINTER 2016

Army Chemical Review presents professional information about Chemical Corps functions related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, smoke, flame, and civil support operations.

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29 Winter 2016 The 48th Chemical Brigade also recently activated two hazard response companies—the 10th Hazard Response Company, Fort Carson, Colorado, and the 45th Hazard Re- sponse Company, Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington. These companies will provide the Army with additional mass decontamination, CBRN reconnaissance, and site characterization capabilities. JRTC training and other De- fense CBRNE Response Force-related exercises, such as Vi- brant Response and Prominent Hunt, enable more integra- tion across the CBRN enterprise and increase the readiness of first responders. The 59th CBRN Company recently completed Vigilant Guard 2016. This exercise is an example of how the 20th CBRNE Command is executing the Army Forces Command Total Force Partnership Program. Vigilant Guard allowed the Vermont Army National Guard to leverage the capabili- ties and capacities of the 59th CBRN Company during this national-level emergency response exercise. The Soldiers of the 59th CBRN Company were among 5,000 exercise par- ticipants from the Vermont Army National Guard; state government; and other local, state, and federal agencies. The exercise stressed the responders' abilities under emergency circumstances across 50 locations in Ver- mont. The 59th CBRN Company was also the first Army active duty CBRN unit to train with the New York Fire Department Hazardous Material Team. In May, the company and the fire department exercised a combined reconnaissance and sampling mission at Pennsylvania Station in New York City. Hopefully, this was the first of many training opportunities with the New York City Fire Department and first responder communities. Finally, any discussion about CRTs must include the 20th CBRNE Command nuclear disablement teams (NDTs). NDTs and CRTs are on a short re- call window for their National Technical Nuclear Forensics Ground Collection Task Force mission in support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Energy. In February, they trained in Philadelphia to exercise the U.S. capability to collect radioactive evidence in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear detonation. The NDT mission set requires sensitive training at sites across the United States, such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Sa- vannah River site, and the Nevada National Security site. These locations offer the NDTs the opportunity to train with live radiation and to gain an under- standing of the challenges and requirements of the nuclear fuel cycle assessment and characterization operations. The sensitive training areas also allow the NDTs to become familiar with nuclear facilities, which have not previously been considered potential targets since sensitive training areas are located deep in the homeland. Possible cyber attacks pro- vide a means for terrorists and lone wolves to gain access to CBRN facilities and use them as potential weapon sites. Whether engaged in the homeland, working alongside our interagency or multinational partners, or deployed over- seas, working with our Korean or NATO allies, our forces are globally responsive and remain regionally engaged on a daily basis. Endnote: 1 Anthony Deutsch, "U.S. Official Says Use of Chemical Weapons is 'Routine' in Syria," Reuters, 23 November 2015, , accessed on 18 October 2016. Liberty We Defend! Brigadier General King is the of the 20th CBRNE Proving Ground, Maryland. His previous was as the deputy assistant chief of staff, G-3/5/7 (Readiness), U.S. Bragg, North Carolina. He is a graduate of the Industrial College of the Soldiers from the 48th Chemical Brigade conduct mass decontam- ination during the the Defense CBRNE Reactionary Force mission at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

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