HOHENFELS, Germany -- Following a brush with the enemy, and reacting to the unforeseen juxtaposition, two Stryker M1135 Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicles, or NBCRVs, scoured the countryside testing for chemical biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents.
The mission was to ensure there was a clear path to and from a captured persons collection point. Their job was to ensure the route was free and clear so fellow Soldiers would safely make the trek to round up captured allies.
Toxic agents were detected.
"We confirmed that there was chemical contamination on the ground, so they can't use (the route) for the captured persons collection point," said Staff Sgt. Jeffery Hughes, chemical reconnaissance platoon sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 10th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
This scenario played out Oct. 29 during Combined Resolve V at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. The exercise is designed to exercise the U.S. Army's regionally allocated force to the European Command area of responsibility with multinational training at all echelons, which includes CBRN.
The missions the team were sent out to conduct were based on real-world situations, which allows the Soldiers to train as they fight.
"We try to make it as real as possible" said Sgt. 1st Class Marc-Henry Avrilien, CBRN observer coach trainer for JMRC's Raptor team. Avrilien continued we want "to make sure that what they do here is going to be the same thing that they are going to have to do out there in the real world.We want them to make the mistakes here so they can learn it here instead of learning it out there in the actual real-world missions."
Spc. Adam Boatwright, CBRN surveyor, HHC, 10th Eng. Bn., 1st BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., agreed.
"We would actually be doing the same thing," Boatwright said. "We would have over watch with security, but it would be the exact same techniques, exact same everything. So, we're definitely training how we fight."
The over watch Boatwright mentioned means a security team for the Soldiers as they sweep for CBRN agents, however as Avrilien pointed out, there may be situations where a separate security detail may not be available.
"The number one thing that I told them after the first (situational training exercise) was that you can't just rely on having security. You have to be able to secure yourself if you don't have security with you," Avrilien explained. "I think they took away that (they) have to make sure that everybody knows the routes they're taking, everybody is tracking on what's going on outside the vehicle. Everybody in that truck is responsible for each other."
Training at JRMC also afforded the CBRN team the opportunity to test their job skills on unfamiliar grounds. Just like on a deployment, the Soldiers were in foreign territory and had to adapt to the scenario that played out in front of them.
"It provides us a completely different location, different scenarios, different terrain for sure," he said. "It just prepares us for whatever would come our way."
Overall, the training met all expectations, for both the nine Soldiers involved, and for the observer coach trainer, Avrilien.
"I'm CBRN, so it always good to see other CBRN Soldiers coming up behind me, and me passing along all the knowledge that I do have is going to help the next generation to improve" Avrilien said. "It feels good because, being the only CBRN [NCO] on my team, I don't see that many CBRN teams, so when we do see them, I'm always happy to train them and to help them get better."
Hughes concurred.
"I think it's great, to be honest. I think my Soldiers are coming along great. Their knowledge base, their enthusiasm, is far above average from what I see," Hughes said. "We've actually been integrated into the brigade's plan. They are fully aware of what our capabilities are and they are looking at that and implementing us into the actual fight. I am very excited about that."
Social Sharing