On 3 February 2023, a reported 38 cars on a train traveling near East Palestine, Ohio in the US derailed. Of these cars, 11 were carrying hazardous cargo; vinyl chloride monomer, a colorless toxic gas. The event created a national response situation for a NATO member country, with Federal, State, and Local agencies working with multiple State National Guard units.
Our NATO CBRN Reachback Element has successfully completed the exercise STEADFAST JUPITER 2023 – NATO’s largest Command Post Exercise in Modern Warfare. The exercise aimed to test NATO’s responsiveness, command and control, and defense posture in a highly challenging multi-threat environment, based on a simulated Article 5 Scenario.
The recent delivery of the International Radiological and Nuclear Training for Emergency Response (I-RAD) course, held in Slovenia, provided an opportunity for the training audience to work within a civilian-military cooperative in responding to radiological emergencies. This course was taught through a collaboration between the JCBRN Defence COE and the US Department of Energy (DOE), bringing together participants from diverse backgrounds to enhance their knowledge and skills in radiological emergency preparedness and response.
The Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Centre of Excellence (JCBRN Defence COE) in Vyškov, Czech Republic, along with the Fire Protection and Training Centre Brno, hosted the "International CBRN Preparedness and Consequence Management for First Responders Course" from April 24th to April 28th, 2023. Organized in close cooperation with NATO's Defence Policy and Planning Division, the event drew 25 military and civilian participants representing ten nations, including Ukraine, showcasing the importance of international collaboration in this critical field.
The JCBRN Defence COE joined the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) Human Factors and Medicine panel, a group, that as its name indicates, is focused on the Study, Design, Building and Deployment of a CBRN XR Training Platform.