Army Chemical Review presents professional information about Chemical Corps functions related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, smoke, flame, and civil support operations.
Issue link: https://chemical.epubxp.com/i/759309
37 Winter 2016 forces during the execution of countering weapons of mass destruction operations. Additionally, they serve as observer controller/trainers during certification of organic elements, which include mounted reconnaissance platoons, hazards assessment platoons, and CRTs. They are critical to the exe- cution of gunnery Tables I, II, and III. 2 Their responsibilities extend to tracking gunnery skill tests for weapon systems and sensors suite systems. The need for DRSKO maintenance and consumables tracking requires the warrant officer to have oversight on technical equipment maintenance. Maintenance oversight and consumable management allow the warrant officer to communicate the operational impact of inoperable equip- ment to the commander and provide feedback on readi- ness in relation to training on consumable and contingency stock. Additionally, he or she is responsible for tracking the compressor maintenance. The compressor is critical to the hazard assessment platoon or CRT conducting operations within an unknown toxic industrial chemical/toxic industri- al material environment. The criticality is predicated on the fact that each DRSKO comes with one compressor and air samples are required every 90 days to achieve compliance with the Defense Air Testing Program. Therefore, warrant officers either train personnel within the units or conduct the sampling themselves before sending it to a contractor for testing. The toxic physical program is another key area for which the company CBRN warrant officer provides over- sight. The toxic physical program requires several steps that involve prior coordination to ensure that Service members are in compliance. Another critical area for the CBRN warrant officer is serving as the radiation safety officer, specifically for CRTs. The radiation safety officer provides oversight of radiation sources that are used to conduct specialized training. These sources require special storage and licensing by organic units to prevent fines to the unit. The CBRN warrant of- ficer's oversight ensures that sublicensing is extended to units such as the 23d CBRNE Battalion, which is located in a remote area. The CBRN warrant officer who serves as an assistant team leader is critical to increasing CRT readiness. The FDU changed the call for first lieutenants to serve as team lead- ers and assistant team leaders; warrant officers now serve as assistant team leaders. This change places the technical experts at the point of impact within the CRTs. The warrant officer is responsible for the coordination of CRT sustainabil- ity, simultaneously conducting parallel planning with the team leader on the execution of sensitive-site exploitation. The execution of the mission requires that warrant officers work alongside the team leader and provide technical exper- tise at the command post. This empowers the team leader to concentrate on commanding and controlling the mission while the CBRN warrant officer develops the complete op- erating picture, which enables the team leader to make de- cisions. Additionally, the team CBRN warrant officer man- ages team consumables, serves as the master trainer on new-equipment fielding, and exercises responsibility for the readiness and accountability of team equipment. Closing The FDU has changed the way CBRN units plan, instruct and, ultimately, fight. The CBRN warrant officer serves as an enabler for the commander at company and battalion lev- els by providing technical and tactical expertise on CBRN operations. Based on the lessons learned by the 23d CBRNE Battalion, the presence of a warrant officer whose sole pur- pose in the formation is to manage and remedy the unique challenges that exist is invaluable. CBRN warrant officers serve as technical experts, and they alternate between that and serving as experts in the operational employment of CBRN forces. They are members of the command team. In the 23d CBRNE Battalion, CBRN warrant officers have been commended for their expertise and professionalism as well as the critical role they played in mission success by every level of command through the Eighth U.S. Army Com- mander. Endnote: 1 Field Manual 3-20.21, Heavy Brigade (HBCT) Gunnery, 3 September 2009. 2 Ibid. Chief Warrant Officer Two Pottinger is an assistant lead- er, 68th CBRNE Fort Hood, Texas. He is the battalion CBRN warrant officer for the 23d CBRNE Battalion, Stanley, South Korea. He holds a bachelor of science de- gree in security Liberty Univer- sity, Lynchburg, Virginia. Lieutenant Colonel Hilburgh is the of the 23d CBRNE Battalion and is currently a U.S. War College student. He is a Ph.D. candidate the University of Kansas and holds degrees the School of Advanced Mili- tary Studies, the Naval War College, and Webster University. The 23d CBRNE Battalion conducts consolidated mili- tary all-terrain vehicle and Stryker gunnery at Rodriguez Live-Fire Range, South Korea.