Photo By Master Sgt. Jeffrey Rice | Members of multiple Civil Support Teams prepare to execute active shooter response operations during Patriot 25 at the Guardian Centers in Perry, Georgia, March 27, 2025. Approximately 700 participants from the National Guard as well as federal, state, and local agencies are taking part in Patriot 25, a National Guard-sponsored exercise designed to enhance domestic response readiness and interagency coordination. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jeff Rice) see less
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Georgia National Guard Unit Achieves Historic Score on Inspection
MARIETTA, Ga – Georgia National Guard’s, 4th Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team (4th WMD-CST) made history by achieving a score of a 100% after completing an in-depth and comprehensive Standardization Evaluation and Assistance Team (SEAT) inspection on November 20, 2025, at the Clay National Guard Center.
The SEAT inspection process is an evaluation of National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive Response Enterprise (CBRNE-CRE) organizations nationwide to determine compliance with federal law and policy and to ensure Congress and the Department of Defense that these programs are operating within established guidelines. Civil Support Team units are evaluated across a broad range of functional areas, including analytical laboratory operations, budget oversight, logistics management, maintenance management, medical support, operations management, personnel management, and training. The assessment also examines safety, physical security, and communications.
The 4th CST became the first to achieve this distinction in securing the top national ranking on the SEAT inspection.
“The team’s overall performance was perfect, there’s not much more you can say about that,” stated 4th CST commander, Lt. Col. Joseph Latella. “The team has a culture of winning, wanting to do the best they can do, and wanting to be the best in the nation. It’s that culture and drive to make everyone around them better that push them to be that successful.”
Working closely with inspectors and evaluators year-round was key to the unit’s success. Through daily oversite and assessment of local programs, the unit remained ready to respond to any incident.
“Not many people know about the 4th CST or what (we do), but I can tell you that everyone on the team is a professional,” 4th CST 1st Sgt. Alden Williams affirmed. “With only a 22-man team… they get the job done. It has been a tremendous and humbling experience to be able to see people work together to solve, fix, and break records like they do.”
The 4th CST is a full-time Army and Air National Guard Unit comprised of 22 Soldiers and Airmen. These personnel provide specialized support to civil authorities at chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incident sites. Its mission also includes facilitating the arrival of follow-on military forces during WMD incidents and supporting response efforts during natural or man-made disasters.
Last year alone, the 4th CST conducted over 250 days of training, making them the most active out of the 57 CSTs in the nation. The 4th CST continuous to be heavily involved with the community by partnering with local, state, and federal interagency partners to reduce threat vulnerabilities in the state of Georgia.
In 2025, the 4th CST provided support for large draw professional and college sporting events, the Peachtree Road Race and the PGA Masters Tournament. Additionally, the unit has supported secret service missions and hurricane relief operations as well as the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Savannah, Ga.
The 4th CST is preparing to support the FIFA World in 2026. After their recent achievement, the team is fully confident in the success of this upcoming mission.
“The evaluation is directly correlated to a unit’s ability to execute and be ready for the real word mission set,” Latella explained; further emphasizing, “When you score perfectly on the SEAT, that demonstrates a level of proficiency in the team to do their jobs because you can’t score that and fake it.”
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