DVIDS – News – Senior Response Leaders Demonstrate Latest Chemical, Biological Defense Technologies Available for Disaster Response

A group of senior leaders responsible for executing the nation’s disaster response recently demonstrated state-of-the-art capabilities for responding to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) events. On November 30, personnel from the CBRN Defense Joint Program Executive Office, along with the Air Force CBRN Defense Systems Branch and the Military Police University’s 4DBio program, demonstrated current and future CBRN defense capabilities to a senior leadership team comprised of representatives from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy , National Security Council Office of Resilience and Response, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other domestic response organizations. The purpose of the demonstration is to demonstrate DoD’s capabilities and expertise to enhance a “whole-of-government” response to a domestic chemical or biological event, and to facilitate the creation of an on-demand domestic response capability that will help modernize and augment current requirements.

The panel of DoD representatives introduced two systems in the Joint Expeditionary Collective Protection System family — the Standalone Large and Improved Structural Kits — and demonstrated personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, chemical-biological suits worn over or under clothing, and equipment to breathe safely in contaminated areas. AF CBRN Defense Systems Branch showcased advanced technology demonstration Collective Protection Conex (CPC) and together with 4DBio demonstrated a suite of threat-agnostic sensors including Non-Invasive Rapid Detection System (NIRDS), Physiological Monitoring Devices and other sensors, to detect changes in biological properties.

Lt. Col. Paul Hendrickson, materiel chief of the Air Force’s CBRN Defense Systems Division, part of the Air Force’s Agile Combat Support Program Executive Office, said: “This event is an excellent opportunity to highlight to national leadership that the DoD today is We have a unique capability to protect our forces in chemical-biological environments. We hope to move the future faster by highlighting novel and cross-domain advanced technology demonstrations designed to accelerate change and deliver capabilities at relevant speeds.”

The results of the demonstration will further drive demand generation and overall posture forward to enhance the US domestic response and develop new partnerships within the CBRN defense community at home and abroad.