Military Review English Edition November-December 2014 | Page 53

COUNTERING WMD

operations within a yet unnamed partner’s operational
area.

Preparing for CWMD Tactical
Operations
One of the first lessons that the 2nd Infantry
Division learned as it began focusing on CWMD is
that these operations are not raids; they are deliberate
combined arms maneuver operations conducted over
extended periods. U.S. Army units excel at the rapid
isolation, seizure, and securing of terrain.
However, CWMD missions extend beyond taking control of a piece of ground. The time involved in
the exploitation phase of a CWMD operation in an

industrial-sized WMD complex—using explosive ordnance disposal, specialty CBRNE forces, and military
intelligence units—is almost impossible to estimate
until the force is physically on the objective and the
various technical enablers conduct an initial tactical
site exploitation and facilities assessment. Depending
on the size of the objective, this process alone can take
several days. Often, depending on what the unit finds
on site, the reward for success could be a lengthy stay,
waiting for completion of tactical exploitation and for
follow-on forces to arrive and take over security on the
objective. This requires tactical patience on the part
of commanders who may be accustomed to seizing an
objective and then moving on to the next objective.
Nevertheless, CWMD operations require
CBRNE training beyond simple passive defense.
CBRNE passive defense—hard, realistic training in
mission-oriented protective posture, instilling the
physical and psychological hardening required to
operate for extended periods—has not been a priority over the last decade or so of counterinsurgency operations. The CBRN noncommissioned officer
position is no longer part of most line companies,
adding to the challenge of regaining lost skill sets.
CBRN training management and CBRN equipment maintenance became additional duties.
Further complicating things, Skill Level 1
CBRNE task competency is only the start of
preparing for CWMD operations, not the end
state. Getting a unit to where it can shoot, move,
communicate, and sustain in mission-oriented
protective posture 4 is the bare minimum. Units
will need to become comfortable operating in full
protective posture for extended periods. They will
need to incorporate psychological hardening into
their training, as soldiers will potentially operate
with dangerous materials in unfamiliar, hostile
environments.
Addit ionally, units must understand how to integrate technical enablers—CBRN response teams,
nuclear disablement teams, explosive ordnance disposal teams—and their equipment during CWMD
Soldiers from several units located in the ROK participated in
training and team certification on avoidance, decontamination,
and protection from chemical, biological, radiological, and
nuclear threats, 9 February 2012.
(Photo by 1st Lt. Foss Davis, 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment)

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