Courtesy Photo | The 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command’s...... read more read more
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BETHANY BEACH, Del. – Highly specialized units from the U.S. military’s premier all hazards command trained for nuclear forensics missions at Exercise Prominent Hunt in Bethany Beach, Delaware, Jan. 23 - 27.
The 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command’s Nuclear Disablement Team 1 and CBRNE Response Team 1 from 11th Chemical Company (Technical Escort) validated their readiness to serve on National Technical Nuclear Forensics Ground Collection Task Force.
Led by the FBI, the NTNF Ground Collection Task Force gathers and packages samples of radioactive fallout that enable partner agencies to determine the source of the radiation.
In addition to the NDT 1 “Manhattan,” NDT 2 “Iron Maiden” and NDT 3 “Vandals,” the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-based 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity and five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy to confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards during joint, interagency and allied operations around the world.
Maj. Joshua T. Mashl, the deputy team chief for NDT 1, said Exercise Prominent Hunt is unique for several reasons.
“The NDT and CRT that support the NTNF mission constitute a major portion of the Ground Collection Task Force,” said Mashl. “The NDT role in support of the task force is to first plan and then subsequently command and control the DoD forces for all collection missions. It also provides technical expertise to the entire task force regarding operations in nuclear environments. The CRT serves the critical function of physically collecting nuclear debris from the fallout plume that has settled onto the ground."
As frontline warriors who directly contribute to the nation's strategic deterrence, NDTs exploit and disable nuclear and radiological Weapons of Mass Destruction infrastructure and components to deny near-term capability to adversaries and facilitate WMD elimination operations.
CBRNE Response Teams are capable of tackling a variety of challenging missions, including initial sampling, limited decontamination, packaging, escorting, detection, munitions assessment, explosive threat mitigation and contaminated sensitive site exploitation.
The Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington-based CRT 1 is part of the 11th Chemical Company (Technical Escort), 110th Chemical Battalion (Technical Escort), 48th Chemical Brigade and 20th CBRNE Command.
Mashl said the exercise gave the 20th CBRNE Command units the opportunity to work with joint and interagency partners on the task force.
“For the NTNF mission, the objective is to rapidly yet safely collect nuclear debris after a nuclear explosion in order to allow scientists in the Department of Energy to conduct analysis and, ultimately, identify the origin of the weapon,” said Mashl.
““This is one of the few missions in which we have the privilege of working alongside a large number of incredible professionals,” said Mashl, a native of Colorado Springs, Colorado. “We work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Air Force, Department of Homeland Security and local emergency services agencies.”
A former U.S. Army engineer officer who has deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait, Mashl became a Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction officer because he was intrigued with the science behind nuclear physics and engineering.
Mashl said the Delaware Army National Guard training center in Bethany Beach was an ideal location for the interagency exercise.
“This training area provides us with everything we need to train — space to establish our command post, open fields to set up our communication systems, roads and lots to park our military vehicles and many other excellent facilities to use,” said Mashl. “We benefit from an incredible community, including several local volunteer fire departments, that is very welcoming and accommodating to our training.”
The NDT 1 deputy team leader said the interagency exercise was critical to validate the readiness of the task force.
“The Prominent Hunt exercises are invaluable because they allow us the opportunity to bring all of the disparate agencies involved in the NTNF mission together to train,” said Mashl. “By executing training missions together, in the field, each organization learns more about the others’ operational capabilities, needs and gaps. Through exposure to these things, we are given the opportunity to identify problems, find solutions and, ultimately, validate our readiness to assume the NTNF mission.”
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.30.2023 15:37 |
| Story ID: | 437469 |
| Location: | BETHANY BEACH, DE, US |
| Hometown: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 272 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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