Courtesy Photo | U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Cannon, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron senior...... read more read more
The 627th Civil Engineer Squadron coordinated a joint training event, bringing together the 476th Chemical Battalion and the 446th Civil Engineer Squadron to collectively sharpen their readiness for a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Sept. 25, 2025.
This multi-service exercise emphasized post-attack reconnaissance and the full spectrum of activities required to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all-hazards CBRN incidents. Teams moved through realistic, high-stress scenarios that demanded they survive and operate in degraded environments. During the event, teams traversed through an environment contaminated with a simulated nerve agent and called in liquid detection points to their control center to map the extent of the contamination. Additionally, participants administered tactical combat casualty care and casualty movement under simulated enemy fire. This exercise required players to stabilize chemically exposed victims experiencing seizures using antidote treatment nerve agent autoinjectors and administer first aid to treat gunshot wounds, ensuring our airmen are prepared to render lifesaving aid without exposing themselves to contamination and small arms fire.
During their post-attack reconnaissance, teams also rehearsed responses to suspected unexploded ordnance: locating, identifying, reporting, and cordoning UXOs to mitigate threats to mission and service members. Participants were then confronted by foreign nationals where cross-cultural communication drills reinforced the team’s ability to clearly communicate and coordinate with non-English speaking locals, ensuring mission continuation while adhering to the Law of War. These exercise scenarios layered chemical contamination simulations on top of kinetic threats, forcing participants to make rapid decisions for execution of mission-essential tasks and contamination control and avoidance.
This collaboration between Army and Air Force partners strengthened CBRN Defense interoperability as instructors from both branches synchronized best practices for contamination control and CBRN Reconnaissance. This exchange of techniques, lessons learned, and mission capabilities created a shared operating picture and common terminology to reduce friction and build mutual trust in the sister services. Regular collaborations with the 476th Chemical Battalion give the Airmen of JBLM unique opportunities to synchronize with their Army counterparts for faster integration into a joint environment. The training also provided airmen with hands-on exposure to Army systems that they might not routinely encounter, including a personnel decontamination shelter, which provides lightweight, rapid decontamination capability to personnel and casualties exposed to CBRN particulates. Airmen also were given the opportunity to operate an unmanned ground vehicle for all-hazards CBRN response. Operators demonstrated how the UGV is deployed to locate, identify, and sample hazardous materials while keeping human operators at a safe distance, highlighting the technology’s role in risk reduction and evidence collection.
The day concluded with a gas mask confidence event that gave 120 Airmen from the 627th CES, the 627th Logistics Readiness Squadron, the 627th Force Support Squadron, and the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron the chance to experience exposure to chemical agents. The gas chamber uses CS gas, a riot control agent which allows participants to feel the psychological and physiological effects of chemical warfare agents. This exercise also serves to give participants confidence in their personal protective equipment, readying them to overcome any challenge in any environment. Exercises like this reinforce individual skills, build cross-service cohesion, and ensure members are mentally and physically ready to deploy.
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.24.2025 11:32 |
| Story ID: | 551013 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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