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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – Soldiers from a U.S. Army mobile laboratory recently conducted live Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) agent training together with NATO allies during Exercise Immediate Response in Slovakia.
American Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory honed their lifesaving and mission-enabling skills with troops from Montenegrin and Slovakia.
Scheduled by U.S. European Command and conducted by U.S. Army Europe-Africa, Exercise Immediate Response demonstrated seamless integration between allied and partner forces, enhancing interoperability across air, land, cyber and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) domains.
Approximately 12,000 troops participated in the annual exercise, which is part of the Defender 2025 exercise series.
Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovakia hosted the multinational exercise.
The 1st GFML “Lab Dragons” are part of the 44th Medical Brigade and 20th CBRNE Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier multifunctional and deployable CBRN formation.
Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases stationed in 16 states to confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
From the 20th CBRNE Command, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians from the 20th CBRNE Command and a theater-level validation laboratory participated in Exercise Immediate Response.
In addition to the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory, the 20th CBRNE Command units included the Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 83rd Chemical Battalion, Fort Drum, New York-based 59th Chemical Company (Hazard Response), Fort Campbell, Kentucky-based 184th Ordnance Battalion (EOD) and Fort Campbell, Kentucky-based 723rd Ordnance Company (EOD).
The exercise demonstrated the 20th CBRNE Command’s ability to draw equipment from Army Prepositioned Stocks, conduct training with live chemical agents and support theater opening operations at a seaport of embarkation.
The Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-headquartered 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory performs surveillance, laboratory testing and health hazard assessments of environmental, occupational, endemic disease and CBRNE threats to support force protection and counter Weapons of Mass Destruction missions.
Activated in 1942, the U.S. Army mobile laboratory command has served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan.
In addition to helping to combat the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014 – 2015, the 1st GMFL served in seven overseas locations to support the COVID-19 response, including U.S. military hospitals in Germany, South Korea and Japan.
Soldiers from the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory have also helped to strengthen readiness during training with allies and partners around the world, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Poland, Romania and South Korea.
Lt. Col. Richard Foucault, Ph.D, the chief of the Chemical Threat Assessment Section at the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory, said the NATO allies and partners also trained for a helicopter casualty evacuation during Exercise Immediate Response.
Foucault, who has served in the U.S. Army for 19 years, earned degrees in biochemistry, mathematics and physical chemistry from the City College of New York and City University of New York. He has served in France and South Korea.
Foucault said Exercise Immediate Response bolstered the readiness of the units involved, adding that the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory routinely trains with NATO allies.
“The overall mission was a success because it enhanced international collaboration among the partner nations,” said Foucault. “Immediate Response 2025 has given us the opportunity to evaluate our unit assets and test our unit readiness.”
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2025 17:05 |
| Story ID: | 542972 |
| Location: | MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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