Sustainers Train To Combat Chemical Warfare

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- With the possibility of chemical warfare on the frontlines, Soldiers from the 25th Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, are combating this threat by conducting decontamination training Oct. 13, with their battalion Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defense teams. This realistic training, supervised by the 71st Chemical Company, 303rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Support Command, will help Sustainers protect themselves from chemical attacks in any environment.

The multi-day training exercise provided Soldiers with two days of classroom training on CBRN decontamination, levels of Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP), and proper wear of the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST). The final day of training consisted of these Soldiers providing decontamination services to a mobile unit wearing their JSLIST in real time.

"It is important for Soldiers to understand why we conduct this training because now the CBRN threat is imminent," said Sgt. 1st Class Mouhamed Dioum, the 25th Sust. Bde. CBRN noncommissioned officer-in-charge. "Just in the last 90 days there have been attacks that involved chemical use, so it is pertinent that we protect ourselves by doing this kind of training."

According to BBC News, a U.S. Official stated that in September American and Coalition Forces were believed to be targeted by a "crude" chemical weapon in the Iraq Theater, making the training conducted by the 25th Sust. Bde. all the more important.

"I believe that CBRN is at the forefront now," said CW2 Richard Paukner, a CBRN technician with the 71st Chem. Co., 303rd E.O.D. Bn., 8th MP Bde., 8th T.S.C. "It has been all over the news and within our missions. Commanders are now making it a forward priority to ensure that their formations are trained and readily available to be called into action."

Paukner and a team of certified CBRN Soldiers from the 71st Chem. Co., assisted the 25th Sust. Bde. in their training, ensuring that every procedure was performed to standard.

"During this training exercise we came as subject matter experts for an operational decontamination mission set," said Paukner. "We brought three trained and certified instructors and one water based platform to supply water for the blivets to help facilitate the operation."

The expert assistance from 71st Chem. Co. was crucial due to a majority of the Soldiers on the brigade's decontamination teams are not CBRN Soldiers. With the collaboration from the 71st Chem. Co., the Soldiers were certified to perform CBRN procedures and became confident in performing the operation.

"The CBRN team provides a temporary fix instead of going through the entire decontamination process," said Dioum. "This minimizes the threat and gets rid of the gross contamination so that you can continue your mission. Once the mission is finished then you would go through a total decontamination."

The decontamination process consists of two main components: removing the bulk of the contamination from the exterior of the unit's vehicles and exchanging contaminated JSLIST components. Depending on the unit size the entire operation can be executed in less than two hours.

"This is important to the point where it is time sensitive," said Dioum. "Just because you were in a chemical attack doesn't mean that the mission stops; you still have a fight to win."