FORT LEONARD WORD, Mo. – Nuclear Disablement Team 2 earned the prestigious Maj. Gen. William L. Sibert Award for team or detachment during the U.S. Army Chemical Corps Awards Ceremony on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Soldiers from Nuclear Disablement Team 2 were honored for strengthening their ongoing partnership with their South Korean counterparts and serving on the FBI-led National Technical Nuclear Forensics Task Force.
The Sibert Award program recognizes excellence among the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) units in the Active Component, Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve. Maj. Gen. William L. Sibert, the awards namesake, is considered the "Father of the Chemical Corps" for establishing the Chemical Warfare Service.
The other winners were the 95th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Company, 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 11th Airborne Division, for the active component; the Illinois National Guard’s 445th Chemical Company, 44th Chemical Battalion, for the National Guard; and the 414th CBRN Company, 457th CBRN Battalion, for the Army Reserve.
Col. Alexander Lovasz, the chief of Chemical and U.S. Army CBRN School commandant, presented the awards to the winners.
The Nuclear Disablement Teams are part of the 20th CBRNE Command, the U.S. military’s premier and deployable CBRNE formation.
Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
In addition to the Nuclear Disablement Teams, the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-based 20th CBRNE Command is home to the majority of the active-duty U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians and CBRN specialists, as well as the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity and Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams.
NDTs directly contribute to the nation’s strategic deterrence by staying ready to characterize, assess and disable nuclear and radiological Weapons of Mass Destruction infrastructure and components to deny near-term capability to adversaries.
The NDTs include Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (FA 52) officers and Soldiers with EOD, nuclear medical science and health physics areas of expertise.
Lt. Col. Christopher Gundersen, the team leader of Nuclear Disablement Team 2, said his team was recognized for its many achievements during the previous year.
Gundersen said that in addition to training with its South Korean counterparts, NDT 2 served on the FBI-led joint service and interagency nuclear forensics task force that stays ready to collect and package samples of radioactive fallout that enable partner agencies to conduct forensic analysis for attribution.
“NDT 2 experienced a challenging yet successful year in terms of operational readiness and organizational excellence. It negotiated the demands of its world class training pipeline while balancing two operational priorities – our Republic of Korea partnership training and the National Technical Nuclear Forensics mission,” said Gundersen.
“More impressive was its ability to do so while conducting community outreach, mission essential tasks-based training, developing strategic partnerships with the Department of Energy and NATO allies and developing force modernization solutions,” said Gundersen.
A native of Montclair, Virginia, and graduate of James Madison University, Gundersen served as a Field Artillery officer and Logistics officer before becoming a Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (FA 52) officer. He has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
“The highlight of the award ceremony was representing the 20th CBRNE Command in front of the entire CBRN and Chemical Corps community,” said Gundersen. “I greatly enjoyed interacting with the other awardees representing all Army components and U.S. Army CBRN School senior leaders. Another highlight was observing the U.S. Chemical Corps Distinguished Member of the Corps and Hall of Fame inductions which I found to be very motivating and inspiring.”
Social Sharing