Photo By Lt. Col. Ryan Donald | Officers and noncommissioned officers from the 22nd CBRN Battalion conduct planning...... read more read more
“You’re doing something that has not been done before, making history in this community is always a good thing,” said Col. Christopher Cox, commander of the 48th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Brigade, during closing comments at the Dragon Fire planning conference in Bruchsal, Germany from Dec 12 - Dec 15.
Dragon Fire will integrate German and U.S. CBRN forces as they execute operations on nuclear reactors, a chemical bunker complex and a chemical depot in Washington and Oregon.
The exercise will also integrate Soldier-Scientists from the U.S. Army’s 1st Area Medical Laboratory and the German Bundeswehr, and a nuclear disablement team from the 20th CBRNE Command.
Cox expressed this effort, and the ones to come, are a demonstration of their resolve and commitment on defeating their adversaries’ capabilities.
Cox added, “I trust you. You’re going to be there for us, and we’ll be there for you.”
Dragon Fire will use the NATO’s Joint Warfare Center’s Skolkan scenario. It supports a NATO Article 5 response, allowing U.S. and German CBRN units to execute CBRNE operations in an advanced European country. It also allows participants to practice for the collective defense of a NATO member.
The Skolkan scenario allows for advanced CBRNE hazards and infrastructure compared to the US Army’s Decisive Action Training Environment scenario which is set in an underdeveloped region.
During the week, Cox and Lt. Col. Dirk Veeck, German liaison officer at the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, based out of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, offered insight and guidance to both U.S. and German Soldiers during the planning sessions.
“If anyone in this room thinks the next operation or next mission will be unilateral and you're not going to need each other, you are not fighting the same wars I’ve been fighting,” Cox told participants. “Those days of going alone are gone.”
During the planning sessions, officers and noncommissioned officers from both countries worked together to better understand their capabilities and capacities as they planned for the exercise. They were also able to share their experiences to help refine the plan based on the different approaches to solving the problems.
“One of the key themes for this conference was for us to better understand each other’s capabilities and capacities,” Maj. Chad Baker, Brigade planner for Dragon Fire said. “We were able to identify and work through some challenges, the quality of the products we jointly produce show the quality of the officers and noncommissioned officers who participated.”
“Dragon Fire and our combined planning conference here in Germany is another example of the commitment of the United States to security and stability in Europe,” Baker added.
The exercise will also serve as the culmination training event and validation exercise for the 22nd CBRN Battalion, a subordinate unit from the 20th CBRNE Command and based out of Fort Bliss, Texas, following their re-stationing effort this summer.
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2016 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 218516 |
| Location: | BRUCHSAL, BW, DE |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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