CAMP ASAKA, Japan (Dec. 10, 2014) -- At 10:35 a.m. this morning, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force announces an attack by invading forces during a bilateral exercise. Eighteen notional enemy missiles with chemical payloads rocket toward unsuspecting ground troops and civilians who have yet to evacuate.
Members of the I Corps Chemical, Biological, Nuclear and Radiological (CBRN) section here, haven't seen the attack on the Joint Warning and Reporting Network, a computerized system that tracks CBRN attacks. It is however, showing on the JGSDF Internal Network Command System.
The two systems are incompatible, and with no knowledge of the specifics of the threat, it's impossible for the Americans to form a response.
Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Adams, a CBRN non-commissioned officer assigned to B Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, knows exactly where to get the information.
It's written in Japanese on a computer just five feet away. Adams doesn't read Japanese. The Soldier manning the computer, Sgt. Shintaro Ootsuka of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force's Central Nuclear Biological and Chemical Unit, doesn't speak English.
This is just one example of the challenges U.S. CBRN Soldiers and their Japanese counterparts faced during Yama Sakura 67 command post exercise taking place from Dec. 8 through Dec. 14.
The Japanese and Americans use different measurements, one preferring to track the progress of a contaminant in kilometers per hour and the other favoring meters per second.
To make matters more complicated, Adams said the Japanese don't use the Joint Effects Model system, a computerized model for predicting contamination based on factors including weather, terrain and material interactions.
Adams, a Joint Effects Model expert who spearheaded its integration into the exercise, said overcoming these differences meant he needed to work closely with his Japanese counterpart.
This meant communicating "slowly, carefully and with the use of an interpreter," Adams joked.
Ootsuka agreed but added that, despite the obvious barriers, communication wasn't that difficult.
"We use different languages but we work in the same field so we communicate very naturally," Ootsuka said.
Adams said working closely with Ootsuka ensures information gets in the right hands as quickly as possible.
"We arrived in Japan four days prior to the start of the exercise," said Adams. "Because we're in the same bilateral cell and practiced working together beforehand, we ensure the Americans and the Japanese receive the information simultaneously."
In the case of the Dec. 10 scenario, Adams said, once the location and type of attack are determined he can use the Joint Effects Model to predict which areas will be threatened. Then he can coordinate with Ootsuka to formulate a response.
"We'll need to find out the grid coordinates and determine which Japanese units are in the area, so they can do a recon and verify the threat," Adams said. "That's the kind of information I can get from the Japanese side of the house."
Having the Joint Effects Model in place means the Americans bring a technological edge to the U.S.-Japanese CBRN partnership, Adams said. But the Japanese bring something most U.S. CBRN teams don't have -- real-world experience in their own back yard.
Events including the 1995 Tokyo subway attack, the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and this year's eruption of Mount Ontake, Ootsuka said, keep CBRN relevant and personal for Service members like himself.
Ootsuka's unit was among those who responded to the eruption, using spectral analysis to identify pockets of noxious gases and helping evacuate the civilians those gases endangered.
Adams said he envied many of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force's CBRN capabilities.
Japanese CBRN units, he said, have firefighters and weather teams assigned to them. Their experience working in real-world emergencies has also made them better than their U.S. counterparts at integrating with civilian agencies such as police, firefighters and chemical companies, Adams said.
Back in the notional world of Yama Sakura 67, Ootsuka is putting his real-world experience to use integrating Adams and his teammates into an effective bilateral CBRN cell.
Within minutes of the initial announcement of the attack, he has found the information Adams needs. All 18 incoming chemical warheads were intercepted by Patriot missiles. Adams and his team weren't needed this time.
"Nothing happened during this inject," he said. "But our training here at [Yama Sakura] ensures that if something does happen, we'll be ready to respond alongside our Japanese partners."
Social Sharing