Soldiers from Nuclear Disablement Team 1 and the 75th Ranger Regiment recently participated in a high-intensity training exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Fort Johnson, Louisiana. The exercise, conducted at a decommissioned pulse radiation facility, simulated an operational environment where troops seized an underground nuclear site under simulated combat conditions.
Maj. Aaron J. Heffelfinger, the team chief for Nuclear Disablement Team 1, praised the facility for its realistic training challenges. “This training location challenges the force for planning, execution, and especially communications,” Heffelfinger stated. “Being a former reactor site, it also has the security measures in place to make it a realistic target.”
The exercise is part of the ongoing mission readiness efforts by the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command. This command, headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, is the U.S. military’s premier CBRNE formation, consisting of highly trained and deployable units that confront and neutralize the world’s most dangerous hazards.
During the exercise, NDT 1 trained alongside the Army Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment, simulating operations under hostile conditions. Maj. Cory P. Chatigny, a Nuclear Operations Officer with NDT 1, highlighted the unique aspects of the mission, which included conducting night operations with the use of night vision equipment and managing simulated ammunition and explosives.
“The mission was unique due to the facility and location of the objective,” Chatigny explained. “The facility was designed to look like a small warehouse turned into a makeshift weapons manufacturing site. It forced us to really take in the environment quickly and adapt under pressure.”
The exercise also tested the NDT’s ability to deploy rapidly with a tailored equipment set using 20th CBRNE aviation assets. The team brought protective equipment, radiation detectors, and decontamination kits delivered to the training site by helicopter.
The integration of NDTs with Special Operations Forces is crucial as the U.S. military prepares to counter near-peer adversaries. Training exercises like this ensure that both conventional and special operations units can work seamlessly together in real-world scenarios involving nuclear and radiological threats.
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