American soldiers from the U.S. military’s premier chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) command participated in a bilateral exercise with the Mexican Army in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, from June 24-28. Soldiers from the 172nd Chemical Company, based at Fort Riley, Kansas, supported Exercise Fuerzas Amigas.
The annual Theater Security Cooperation exercise, aimed at strengthening military-to-military partnerships, involved approximately 220 U.S. troops and 300 Mexican Armed Forces personnel. U.S. Army North, serving as the Joint Force Land Component Command, maintained operational control of the exercise, which is part of U.S. Northern Command’s mission to enhance North American defense readiness and deter strategic competitors.
The exercise included various training scenarios such as command and control synchronization, chemical decontamination, mass casualty triage, evacuation, and search and rescue operations. U.S. Army Hazard Response companies conducted reconnaissance, surveillance, and decontamination operations with conventional and special forces, also providing support to civil authorities.
The 172nd Chemical Company is part of the 2nd Chemical Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade, and 20th CBRNE Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command houses 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s explosive ordnance disposal technicians and CBRN specialists. It includes the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five weapons of mass destruction coordination teams, and three nuclear disablement teams.
Personnel from the 20th CBRNE Command, deployed from 19 bases across 16 states, are tasked with confronting and defeating the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency, and multinational operations.–News Desk