Photo By Cpl. Anabelle Reedobrien | U.S. Marine Corps PFC. Noah Carver, a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS TRAINING AREA BELLOWS, Hawaii – U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 174, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing joined forces with the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserves, Air National Guard and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for Exercise Toxic Swell 25. This two-week training on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, focused on enhancing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense capabilities in a joint environment.
Toxic Swell 25 went beyond the conventional classroom settings for CBRN exercises, with 10 units coming together to train in an austere environment. Participants engaged in multiple field rehearsals, including runway survey missions, simulated infantry drills, aircraft decontamination and CBRN detection scenarios. Marines, Airmen, National Guardsmen and partnered RAAF conducted Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain (MOUT), simulating the challenging conditions personnel might face in actual deployments. The exercise emphasized joint movement to objectives and effective use of CBRN training across services and with our partnered nations.
“Exercises like Toxic Swell test our response to worst-case scenario CBRN threats that our enemies may use,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Webb, Officer-in-Charge of the exercise. “The training we conducted blended basic Marine warfighting tactics with the knowledge of the Air Force and RAAF, teaching each other how we can best move as a team to the objective and use our CBRN training effectively.”
A key highlight of Toxic Swell was the participation of RAAF, which brought extensive expertise in CBRN threats to the exercise. The RAAF conducted an in-depth session educating the participants on their Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear removal process. This demonstration provided valuable insight into how our partnered nations combat CBRN situations, enhancing the knowledge of Marines, Airmen, and National Guardsmen who may operate together in future joint missions.
“Having been part of Toxic Swell 24, we came to observe and provide training feedback to our units,” said Flight Sgt. Noel Klaehn of the 295th Squadron, RAAF’s Combat Support Group. “Most of our operations are likely to be with allied forces, so exercises like this are critical. We hope to bring more of our team to participate next year”
In addition to the RAAF training, participants completed the Performance Evaluation Checklist for weapons handling and proficiency on the M16A4 rifle and M240B machine gun, as well as the gas chamber, where they practiced donning and clearing their protective masks in a controlled environment filled with CS gas. This experience reinforced the importance of proper CBRN procedures and ensured the Airmen, National Guardsmen and RAAF received standardized Marine Corps training, enabling a diverse team to merge seamlessly.
By the conclusion of Toxic Swell 25, all training objectives were successfully executed, fusing CBRN response with traditional infantry tactics and command coordination. Through realistic training Marines, Airmen, Nation Guardsmen and partnered RAAF became a cohesive, capable force ready to respond to any CBRN threat.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2025 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 546594 |
| Location: | WAIMANALO, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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