CBRNE Task Force participates in training rotation

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from the 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) formed a CBRNE Battalion Task Force for the training rotation at Fort Polk with the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team in support of the Global Response Force.  

UNITED STATES

09.30.2014

Story by Walter Ham  

20th CBRNE Command

FORT POLK, Louisiana - Soldiers from the Department of Defense's only command that combats chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive hazards are training with the U.S. Army's premier forcible entry force at the Joint Readiness Training Center.

The 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) formed a CBRNE Battalion Task Force for the training rotation with the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team in support of the Global Response Force.

The 192nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion and 737th EOD Company have teamed up with the Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 92nd Chemical Company and 4-9th CBRNE Response Team at the U.S. Army's premier light infantry training center this month.

Stationed on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with the XVIII Airborne Corps and 82nd Airborne Division, the 192nd EOD Battalion is home to the U.S. Army's only airborne EOD company. The 28th EOD Company is made of up EOD paratroopers who primarily support the elite U.S. Army Rangers.

The 24-day exercise is part of the 20th CBRNE Command's integration with maneuver units during combat training center rotations and experimentation in regionally aligned CBRNE task forces.

The 20th CBRNE Command is wargaming a task organization that transforms its two EOD groups and chemical brigade into CBRNE Brigade Task Forces that are regionally aligned with I Corps in the Asia Pacific region; III Corps in Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and the XVIII Airborne Corps on Global Response Force missions.

In support of 20th CBRNE Command's homeland security and military missions, the CBRNE Task Force is designed to expand the tool kit of the Geographic Combatant Commander or lead agency during a crisis, contingency or conflict.

According to Lt. Col. Steve Elder, the commander of 192nd EOD Battalion, the rotation demonstrates the importance and relevance of incorporating CBRNE threats into force-on-force training exercises.

"Integration of our assets and very technical capability into an extremely complex environment through detailed mission planning and successful execution is the highlight of this rotation," said Elder, a native of Dexter, Missouri.

The 20th CBRNE Command has partnered with the combat training centers and other CBRNE organizations to construct industrial scale training venues and targets which enable Soldiers to experience the full range of CBRNE hazards, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), underground facilities, life-sized chemical and biological laboratories and nuclear facilities.

"The 20th CBRNE Command and JRTC certainly have set the conditions for realistic training through scenario development and complex targets," said Elder.

A 25-year U.S. Army veteran and seasoned EOD officer, Elder said the training is realistic and challenging.

"I will tell you that the troopers have made several comments already regarding the level of realism as they have maneuvered to target sites, engaged with enemy, called MedEvacs and rendered safe IEDs (improvised explosive devices) - all while en route to their specified CBRNE target," said Elder. "It feels very real at all levels."

• Date Taken: 09.30.2014
• Date Posted: 09.30.2014 13:09
• Story ID: 143792
• Location: US