ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – Highly trained American Soldiers honed their skills to disable any potential enemies’ nuclear capabilities during training on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
Nuclear Disablement Team 2 trained Jan. 17 on Aberdeen Proving Ground. A one-of-a-kind capability in the U.S. Department of Defense, NDTs directly contribute to the nation’s strategic deterrence by staying ready to exploit and disable nuclear and radiological Weapons of Mass Destruction infrastructure and components to deny near-term capability to adversaries. The NDTs also facilitate follow-on WMD elimination operations.
The NDTs are part of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier CBRNE formation.
The 20th CBRNE Command is also home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity and five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
The U.S. military’s only Nuclear Disablement Teams — NDT 1, NDT 2 and NDT 3 – are all stationed on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The NDTs include Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (FA 52) officers, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer, a Nuclear Medical Science officer and a Health Physics noncommissioned officer.
“This training event is critical to the success of the NDTs, as conducting disablement operations is one of our core tasks,” said Capt. John M. Prevost, an Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer from Nuclear Disablement Team 2. “Effective application of the correct tool to the correct task starts with understanding how to set up and employ the equipment. This course allows NDT personnel to see the effects of each tool on a given target material, thus revealing planning considerations and limitations for use in expeditionary operations.”
Prevost said disablement operations contribute to counter Weapons of Mass Destruction missions and gives commanders greater options on the battlefield. “It can also increase the safety of nuclear infrastructure, enabling freedom of maneuver to the ground component commander and reducing the risk of a potential contamination event,” he said.
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