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
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,