FORT POLK, Louisiana -- Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal troops are training with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at the U.S. Army's premier light infantry training center this month.
The Fort Drum, New York-based 725th EOD Company is supporting the 1st Brigade Combat Team training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) here.
The 725th EOD Company is part of the 63rd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group, 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives), the U.S. Defense Department's only command that combats chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives threats around the world.
In 2014, the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-based 20th CBRNE Command began integrating into training rotations at Fort Polk and at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California.
Lt. Col. Bobby Sadler, the commander of the 63rd EOD Battalion, said Soldiers from his battalion train together with the 10th Mountain Division at least four times a year.
"The training is very realistic at JRTC," said Sadler, a native of Black Hawk, South Dakota. "The communication and interaction between the brigade and the EOD Company improve immensely during each JRTC rotation."
The 63rd EOD Battalion has EOD companies on Fort Drum, Fort Polk and Fort Stewart, Georgia.
In addition to deploying for military operations around the globe, the 63rd EOD Battalion supports law enforcement and Secret Service missions in 15 states.
Sadler said his Soldiers train regularly with combat units and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to maintain their life-saving and mission-enabling skills.
"Units are always conducting additional training with local bomb squads and sister services," said Sadler.
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