20th CBRNE EOD techs train with Texas Rangers

Courtesy Photo | A Soldier from the Fort Hood, Texas-based 797th Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Company competes in the 79th EOD Battalion Team of the Year competition. Soldiers from the 797th EOD Company recently trained with the Texas Rangers.  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

05.01.2015

Story by Walter Ham  

20th CBRNE Command

FORT HOOD, Texas - U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Soldiers from the 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) trained with the Texas Rangers.

U.S. Army EOD troops from the Fort Hood, Texas-based 797th EOD Company conducted interagency demolition training with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the storied law enforcement agency also known as the Texas Rangers, and the Killeen, Texas Police Department SWAT Team.

The 797th EOD Company is assigned to the 79th EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group, 20th CBRNE Command, the U.S. military's only multifunctional formation that combats chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive hazards.

To stay ready for its high-stakes mission, the 20th CBRNE Command trains with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as well as joint, interagency and allied partners around the globe.

In addition to supporting military operations, the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-based 20th CBRNE Command conducts daily Defense Support to Civil Authorities missions.

Army EOD technicians from 20th CBRNE respond to military munitions discovered around the nation. In fiscal year 2014, 20th CBRNE EOD techs responded to more than 2,000 calls to identify and render safe unexploded ordnance, both on and off military installations, across the United States.

The Fort Hood, Texas-based 79th EOD Battalion covers a vast section of the Lone Star State, conducting military explosive mitigation missions in 186 of the 254 counties in Texas.

Brig. Gen. JB Burton, the 20th CBRNE commanding general, said his Soldiers have a wealth of operational experience.

U.S. Army EOD troops from 20th CBRNE Command have defeated more than 50,000 improvised explosive devices or IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan since the command was activated in 2004 to consolidate the U.S. Army's CBRNE capabilities into one headquarters.

"Our Soldiers help to keep our nation safe by defending liberty around the world and at home," said Burton, a native of Tullahoma, Tennessee. "We always welcome the opportunity to train with our joint, interagency and allied partners."

• Date Taken: 05.01.2015
• Date Posted: 05.01.2015 17:43
• Story ID: 162015
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US
• Hometown: TULLAHOMA, TN, US