CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait –
Soldiers and first responders with Area Support Group - Kuwait responded to a mock base attack at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Dec. 19, 2017, in a test of the base’s readiness.
The no-notice exercise required the teamwork of the base’s quick reaction force, firefighters, medical personnel, and military police, said Army 1st Lt. Max Puckett, emergency manager with the Camp Buehring Area Support Group - Kuwait Brigade Special Troops Battalion. Puckett was an organizer of the exercise which incorporated an event to test the base’s chemical, biological, radioactive, or nuclear response.
“This is important for all of the units to work together because we are exercising the standard operating procedures for instances such as sheltering in place or what to do in the event of a CBRN attack,” said Puckett.
The simulated attack began with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, requiring personnel to man the protective towers around the base in what is known as a Geronimo drill, said Puckett.
“We had several incidents occurring at the same time, which one incident could require multiple units with different capabilities to respond to that incident,” said Puckett.
After the explosion at the gate, a second vehicle entered the base. It proceeded to a pre-planned area where a suspect fled the truck and caused a mass casualty event, said Staff Sgt. Colton Simpson, CBRN site manager assigned to the 208th CBRN Company, Alabama National Guard.
Soldiers, guided by their leadership, located, apprehended, and quarantined suspects of the simulated attack. They then conducted first aid, called explosive ordnance personnel and tested for CBRN chemicals in a suspicious vehicle left by the attackers.
“We got intelligence that there was a CBRN threat and that there was gas coming out of the truck,” said Simpson, “So we came out, set up a decontamination line, and sent a reconnaissance team to investigate the threat.”
According to Puckett, this exercise was part of a larger, multi-faceted training plan that included a table-top planning session that was conducted last quarter.
“Overall, I think this was a high success and a learning experience for new units that were replacing-in-place,” Puckett, said, referring to the RIP process where one unit takes over another unit’s mission in set stages.