News 2016

New Director Operations Support Department has Taken over Responsibilities

Today, 11th July 2016, the Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence can welcome Colonel Olivier Lion as the new Director of the Operations Support Department. “It will be an interesting challenge”, Colonel Lion said during the handover period. “After all, I have been Commander of a Regiment until last week, and working in a Centre of Excellence will be a completely different environment now.” But the member of the French Armed Forces is optimistically looking forward to spend three challenging years in the CoE in Vyškov, being responsible for many different field of activities. Just to mention the most important: His Department is providing the CBRN Reachback Support to the Alliance and our Sponsoring Nations.

Visit by Czech Republic Member of Parliament

On 16 May 2016 Mr. Jaroslav KLASKA,member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, and his team visited the JCBRN Defence COE in Vyskov.

The COE’s Chief of Staff, Colonel Willie Joe FLUCKER, welcomed Mr. KLASKA and pointed out the importance and the value of his visit.

Colonel Jaroslav BOREK, Deputy Director of the COE’s Training, Exercise and Education Department, led the delegation through briefings on the organization’s main mission, tasks, achievements, current projects and visions of the Centre.

As part of the visit, Mr. KLASKA and his team toured the training and education facilities, CBRN Reachback Operations Room, and the Information Knowledge Management and Modelling and Simulation Sections.

Mr. KLASKA was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit the Centre.

NATO exercise Bold Blast 2016 driven from JCBRN Def COE

On 11 – 14 July 2016 the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Centre of Excellence (JCBRN Def COE) had the honor to host an executive team from Joint Force Commands (JFCs) Brunssum and Naples for conducting the BOLD BLAST ’16 – the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Warning and Reporting (CBRN W&R) Exercise.

The aim of the exercise was to train CBRN W&R Cells at Joint Task Force (JTF) and Component Command (CC) levels. The training premises and ICT assets of the JCBRN Def COE provided a good-sized environment for hosted team performing the Higher Control (HICON) tasks.

HICON was responsible for generating the inputs to hierarchy-networked CBRN W&R elements and assessing their outcomes. The elements from NATO & Partners’ bodies and nations (AIRCOM Germany, CRR France, HRDC Spain, national elements from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden) were performing the ATP-45 procedures as training audience to accomplish the exercise’s training objectives. CBRN Reachback Element (JCBRN Def COE) was engaged in the Bold Blast ‘16 as well, providing a Subject Matter Expertise for HICON through a reply on Request for Information raised.

All tasks of the exercise were performed well and they confirmed a necessity of preparing and running complex CBRN scenarios for CBRN W&R training purposes as well as following a modern Alliance’s approaches and trends for Education and Training.

Support to the BOLD BLAST 2016 is conceived as part of long-term contribution to the NATO’s CBRN W&R training activities. The JCBRN Def COE opened the year 2016 by CBRN Analysis Super User Course in March and will continue by Warning and Reporting Specialists Course in October, also planning to participate in other Alliance’s CBRN W&R /CBRN Information Management/ related events.

First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Jiří BALOUN Awards Leaving Personnel

On 13th June 2016, the 1st Deputy Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Jiří Baloun, visited the Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence in Vyškov and took the opportunity to award some leaving personnel of the Centre.
Lieutenant General Baloun awarded a commemorative plaque of the Chief of General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces to Colonel Willie Joe Flucker (United States of America) –Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Pensalfini (Italy) – Chief of the CBRN Defence Capabilities Development and Defence Planning Section, Lieutenant Colonel Ferenc Menyhárt (Hungary) – Chief of the CBRN Experimental Support Section.
In addition, all outgoing COE members have been honoured by Diploma Laudi Memoralibis for professional attitude and outstanding active involvement in performing NATO CBRN Defence tasks and obligations to support the JCBRN Defence COE, thus improving the CBRN Capacities and Capabilities of this international military organization and its positive perception in the Czech Republic as well as abroad.
Diploma Laudi Memoralibis were awarded to the above mentioned Colonel Flucker, Lieutenant Colonel Pensalfini, and Lieutenant Colonel Menyhárt as well as to Captain Luboš Trudič (Slovakia) and Commander Spyridon Kolovos (Greece) – both Concepts and Doctrines Section.

The Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence has a new Chief of Staff

As of 7^th July 2016, Colonel Andrew L. Miltner has taken over responsibility as the new Chief of Staff of the Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence. With more than 30 years of military experience in the United States Army and a solid background as CBRN Defence Officer, he is the perfect person to take over this challenging position. He has already moved to the Czech Republic and will stay here for a regular tour of three years. The CoE-Staff wishes him and his wife Sonmi all the best for their time in Moravia, and Andrew in particular a lot of success in his new responsibility.