National Guard Drills WMD Units

During a training event simulating the release of chemical or biological weapons in Massachusetts earlier this month, National Guard teams deployed robots to assess the “hot zone” near the epicenter of the simulated attack (see GSN, May 23).

The exercise, involving National Guard Civil Support Teams from across New England, took place between May 4 and 11 in Truro, Mass., according to a Massachusetts National Guard press release.

The guard units, responding to a simulated event in a suburban area, worked in concert with each other and civilian first responders.  In each state, the National Guard maintains a 22-member, full-time team which helps civilian agencies plan for and react to WMD-type events.

One survey team, comprised of members from both the Massachusetts Civil Support Team and Massachusetts State Police drove into affected areas to assess simulated victims and also used remote robots.

The robots can perform the same reconnaissance tasks as human surveyors “only slower and clumsier, but also at zero risk,” said Stephen Sicard, a state trooper involved in the exercise, according to the release.

During the multiday exercise guard units spelled each other, offering relief in the long-duration simulation.  “We train so that, when we respond to a live situation, the transition goes smoothly and there is minimal disruption to the incident commander’s objectives and timelines,” said Lt. Col. Michael Young, commander of the a Civil Support Team from Vermont (National Guard release, May 25.)

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