SOCOM Has No CBRN Training

Wired's Danger Room featured this photo in a story about SOCOM training to do WMD elimination missions for North Korea. The Army Times article about the training is here.

Among the more complex missions during the exercise was an operation to secure a suspected chemical weapons lab. The operation required extensive planning and coordination of air and land assets of the Korean and American militaries.

The operation took less than 12 hours to execute, and began with a several-kilometer foot movement through the Chiri Mountain range, among the tallest on the Korean peninsula. After reaching the site and establishing an observation position, a separate element linked up with vehicles that rapidly escorted the assault and CBRN, or chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear, teams into position.

After the Korean and American operators secured the site, the CBRN team moved in to assess the fictional WMD threat. The assessment team completed their work at the site and boarded an inbound Chinook helicopter that landed adjacent to their location. A short flight later, the CBRN team boarded a waiting C-130 Hercules aircraft for a longer flight to another destination to treat simulated casualties. The C-130 used in the training was outfitted with special equipment to transport individuals who were exposed to chemical or biological hazards. The team landed and was treated by waiting medics.

Staff Sgt. Matthew Henson, the Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment sergeant in charge of the team that assessed the WMD site, said the training was "very good" and "very realistic."

Yeah, realistic if you're an infantry man who doesn't think that CB warfare agents are all that. Note in the photo - this is what I call "infantry MOPP" - when they wear masks but no hoods to protect their heads or necks, wear liquid absorbent leather gloves and leather combat boots instead of impermeable rubber gloves and boots. That's not realistic, that's a cop-out to minimize the heat stress from running around in protective gear.

The one thing that infantry guys never wanted to do is to train for combat operations realistically with full protective gear. They just don't like it, and I don't blame them. But "it is what it is" and if you're serious about charging into a CB weapons lab and blowing things up, maybe you ought to wear all the right gear. You assholes. And by the way, love the "technical charts" on the wall.

Comments

[Ray]

"That's not realistic, that's a cop-out to minimize the heat stress from running around in protective gear."
Same occurs on construction sites doesn't it: too hot to wear protective clothing.
Isn't there a cooler design for these things?
R.

[J.]

Surprisingly, no, not yet at least. We did studies back in 1991 on this issue - doesn't matter to a degree what you wear, if you wear multiple layers of clothing (such as a protective suit over a combat uniform), heat stress instantly goes up. And if you are at all concerned about droplets of nerve agent or mustard soaking through your uniform and onto your skin, there's really few substitutes for a thin layer of rubber. However, if it's too thin, it breaks in the stress of combat, so you have to balance the need for sturdy material with its absorbent behavoir and addition to heat load.

There are microcooling systems that hazmat personnel use under their impermeable clothing but it's heavy and requires a power source. Not good for infantry, who are already burdened with gear and kevlar. There is no easy answer, although there's a lot of investigation into absorbent nanofibers and self-decon materials. Probably not going to see a significant change in protective suits for some decades.