Site visit affords SOC Soldiers a look at Fort Leonard Wood CBRN training

By Amanda Sullivan, Fort Leonard Wood Public AffairsMay 5, 2021

Site visit affords SOC Soldiers a look at Fort Leonard Wood CBRN training
Capt. Nicko Nagel, Company A commander, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky., explains the benefits of joining U.S. Army Special Operations Command during a recruiting brief to Basic Officer Leadership Course students April 29 at Fort Leonard Wood. (Photo Credit: Photo by Amanda Sullivan) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defense staffs from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, 75th Ranger Regiment, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and select Special Forces Groups discussed collective training opportunities during a site visit here April 28 and 29.

According to Brig. Gen. Daryl Hood, U.S. Army CBRN School commandant, special operations leadership met with personnel from the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Army Futures Command and CBRNS, and visited the Chemical Defense Training Facility and the Lt. Joseph Terry CBRN Responder Training Facility.

The visit served as an opportunity for elements of the USASOC to learn about the training resources available at Fort Leonard Wood, said Lt. Col. Kevin Smith, a CBRN operations officer with U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Smith said the visit also afforded non-CBRN special operations personnel the opportunity to experience the training opportunities here first hand.

“They’ve never been to the schoolhouse so they don’t know the facilities, and a lot of these facilities have had significant improvements since most of us were last here,” he added. “They (USACBRNS) wanted to showcase some of the facilities and training abilities they have where Army special operations could potentially train. So, we got to see those facilities and talk about potential training opportunities.”

The visit is part of an effort to strengthen the partnership between special operations forces and the CBRNS and MSCoE, said Col. Sean Kirschner CBRNS assistant commandant.

“Army SOF are on the cutting edge of countering (weapons of mass destruction) threats across the globe and we can learn a lot from each other,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we made those connections (so we can) work together … and make sure they are aware of some of the efforts we have ongoing for potential improvements in the future.”