Ready or not, here we come…
might see. We work closely with Special Operations Command (SOCOM), and they have demonstrated their focus and competence as the countering weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) synchroniser and I feel confident in our force’s ability to execute our mission
GW: 20th has always had close links with SOCOM. Now they have taken over that CWMD mission do you think it will make any difference, or is the focus just to be prepared for any mission? JB: SOCOM is the synchroniser across all the geographic commands. I don’t think our partnership changes with them, the combatant commanders (COCOMS) or across the army. We have stayed focused on our mission being accomplished.
GW: Appreciate that you need to be prepared for all missions, but the ubiquity of fentanyl has forced a rethink of response. Previously it was a novel threat agent and as such more exotic than chlorine etc. Now due to changes in synthetic opioid use, that once exotic agent is mundane and ubiquitous. Has that had an impact on the force, needing to amend detection equipment, TTPs etc? JB: Our soldiers are professionals and are trained and equipped to deal with all kinds of agents; however, there is always an operational risk. We are a learning organisation and continue to increase our capacity to deal with known and emerging threats. As a professional organisation, we will look at all types of agents.
GW: BG King was keen on international exercises with NATO partners and ran the Dragon fire exercise with great success. That has stalled; the second Dragon fire will now be German only. Do you have a view on this? Are you excited about trying to energise this, or is it more important that you focus on the US mission rather than multilateral ones? JB: We are very committed to partnering internationally and we have long-standing relationships with many foreign nations. We understand the values of conducting and coordinating exercises with them. We continue to
follow army and US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) directives and we are focussed on readiness and being able to execute our mission. The army has a strategic plan of building partnership and we will be part of that and support it accordingly.
GW: Understood, but will you see NATO CBRN troops doing exercises on US soil in the next three to five years? Previously that constituted an exciting development… JB: We will continue partnerships with NATO or other foreign nations. We continue to work with our partners as directed by the army.
GW: Brigade rotations through the National Training Centre (NTC) and Joint Readiness Training Centre (JRTC) were a big thing when they first happened. Does that still deliver a thrill, or has it become mundane? JB: We are very integrated, both EOD and CBRN, into the combatant training centres. Senior leaders have tasked us to focus on overall training readiness and it includes CBRN and counter-WMD. We have been directed that all units at different echelons incorporate CBRN into individual and collective training on the battlefield. Our CBRN readiness is improving and the CBRN training is
integrated into all unit’s mission essential tasks during home station training. I think our home station training is key, and warfighter exercises and our combat training centre rotations both at NTC and JRTC are paying huge dividends. The purpose of CBRN training is to ensure that soldiers, leaders and units achieve and maintain combat operations proficiency in these conditions. That foundation is set in all our units rotating through our centres.
GW: When it started, the brigade combat teams (BCTs) thought it was a novelty to have CBRN. I wonder because of events and three or four rotations through, whether they have become used to having CBRN assets, maybe are even pleased to have them there! Has that flowed through to the COCOMs? Do you find that people are excited to see Dragon Soldiers or is it still the end of a good exercise? JB: CBRN is incorporated throughout the exercise. It is not a big thing, it is the norm to maintain our readiness.
GW: I was interested to see in NATO’s framework nation concept (FNC) that the US is going to put a company in there. Are you still going to integrate with that, or has that been pushed to the right?
CBRNe Convergence, Orlando, USA, 6-8 November 2018
www.cbrneworld.com/convergence2018 BG Bonner wants to improve along the whole DOTMLPF piece ©DoD
10 CBRNe WORLD February 2018
www.cbrneworld.com
CBRNeWORLD
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