US military leverages multicomponent expertise during chemical response exercise

CAMP DAWSON, West Va. – U.S. Army civilians and National Guard Soldiers participated in a full-scale exercise in Ohio and West Virginia that simulated responses to crashes of a U.S. Army helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft and ground convoy carrying Schedule 1 surety material.

Planned by the U.S. Army 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the Chemical Incident or Mishap Response and Assistance (CIMRA) exercise brought together nearly 300 personnel from 52 Federal, state, local and private industry partners during Exercise Toxic Buckeye in Ohio and West Virginia, Sept. 16 – 20.

Battelle, FBI, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, and the Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia National Guard trained together during Exercise Toxic Buckeye.

U.S. Army civilians from the CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity (CARA) are the only personnel in the U.S. Department of Defense authorized to transport chemical surety material off of military installations.

CARA civilians who escort and transport surety materials are armed and trained to respond to incidents or mishaps. CARA maintains organic airlift capabilities to support missions with U.S. Army civilian pilots who are dual rated to fly both UH-72 helicopters and C-12J2 aircraft.

A one-of-a-kind Army civilian activity, CARA also supports remediation of Formerly Used Defense Sites and conducts emergency responses, overseas and stateside, to characterize and assess Recovered Chemical Warfare Materiel. The CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity is part of the 20th CBRNE Command.

From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.

The West Virginia National Guard’s 35th Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) responded during the convoy accident scenario at Camp Dawson, West Virginia.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 James W. Reynolds, the survey team leader for the West Virginia National Guard’s 35th CST (WMD), said the exercise enabled his unit to work together with other interagency partners.

“Multicomponent training is of the utmost importance to Total Force Readiness. How each agency was able to support one another in specific areas was vital to overall mission success,” said Reynolds, a native of Winfield, West Virginia, who earned his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Charleston.

“The exercise was realistic based on how each agency was utilized,” said Reynolds. “We trained as if this was a real-world response.”

Reynolds said the National Guard Civil Support Teams are the “tip of the spear” for domestic CBRNE response missions.

Maj. Ryan A. Schwartz, the commander of the West Virginia National Guard’s 35th CST (WMD), said his team was able to identify ways to work with the U.S. Army civilians who serve in CARA during the exercise.

“We have not worked with the CARA team in the past, so identifying how to integrate our respective tactics, techniques and procedures into a coordinated response effort was a tremendous success,” said Schwartz, who took command of the 35th Civil Support Team (WMD) in October 2023.

“A vehicle accident during a ground movement is always a possibility and being able to execute joint tasks in order to determine the safety of the packaged material is a primary concern for both mission success and public safety,” said Schwartz.

Originally from Los Angeles, Schwartz has deployed to Iraq twice. He previously served in the Georgia National Guard before moving to the West Virginia National Guard.

Schwartz earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cal Poly Pomona and his master’s degree in national security studies from American Military University.

National Guard Civil Support Teams have to stay ready for different scenarios ranging from hazard plume modeling to responding to a nuclear facility emergency, said Schwartz.

“The CSTs train on a variety of CBRNE contingency scenarios so in the event we are faced with a unique scenario, such as this, we are able to provide solid, foundational tactics, techniques and procedures to address the problem,” said Schwartz. “Including multicomponent training into future events is critical for ensuring we build and maintain Total Force Readiness.”

Christopher J. Gutberlet, who serves as the Surety Manager for the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-headquartered 20th CBRNE Command, coordinated the exercise.

“The training and research enabled by the DoD Schedule 1 chemical surety program safeguards U.S. troops and American citizens from the threats posed by chemical weapons. The Surety Program not only prepares the U.S. military to operate in a WMD environment but also helps civil authorities to prepare for any potential WMD attack on the homeland,” said Gutberlet.

The Surety Program enables the research and development of cutting edge personal protective equipment, chemical monitoring devices, medical countermeasures and chemical decontamination capabilities, said Gutberlet.

“The 20th CBRNE Command remains committed to ensuring the safe and secure transport of chemical surety material,” said Gutberlet. “These exercises are vital to ensure we have an immediate coordinated response with partnering Federal agencies and our state and local emergency response and law enforcement personnel across the United States.”