DVIDS – News – Improved CBRNE Training Helps Better Protect Airmen in Contested Environments

The 146th Airlift Wing’s Civil Engineers Squadron (146 CES) emergency management office, began delivering the enhanced curriculum for annual CBRNE (Chemistry, Biology, Radiology, Nuclear and Explosives) training, forgoing the legacy of computer-based training (CBT) with the intention of providing more quality hands-on learning opportunities to Airmen who take the course.

California Air National Guard Senior Airman Jeffrey Brown, a CBRNE instructor for CES 146, is responsible for familiarizing Airmen with their training style and how to wear their MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture). Similar to the legacy version of the training, Brown covers proper techniques and equipment wear while introducing a new curriculum focused on improving the skills Airmen need to adapt to a contested environment.

During scenario-based training, Airmen work together to find solutions to specific threats in a variety of training areas, including EOD (Explosive Ordinance Devices) simulation, decontamination procedures and identification biological threats.

According to Brown, the hands-on training is beneficial for both instructors and airmen who take the course, as it helps reinforce their learned skills and increase their familiarity with the equipment.

“To use MOPP equipment, you need to have an effective practical skill set. Since we left CBT, we can help build these skills. In the CBT you can see the equipment put on and see some parts of the equipment, but you actually have to get your hands on the mask so you can take it apart, inspect it, and make sure it’s all there. Putting on the equipment and adapting quickly is necessary for training if you are preparing for a real threat, ”said Brown.

California Air National Guard Senior Airmen Tara Neitzel, an additional CBRNE trainer, says the course also benefits newly arrived Airmen who may have limited training experience.

“We try to guide them every step of the way, making sure they understand what they are doing so that they don’t get panicked, especially for new airmen who are doing this for the first time since basic training. This course helps us prepare for them as best we can, ”said Neitzel.

According to the two trainers, CBRNE training will be more of a recertification process for some as they relearn skills from practice; however, Airmen can expect the course to include a much more robust approach, increasing training time two to three hours longer than the old one-hour online training.

Brown believes the addition of duration is a practical step that will add a host of benefits, testing many of the skills desired to keep Airmen alive in contested environments.

“It’s an important training; and the type of training that is starting to get more visibility now. We’re doing what we can to make sure that we can help everyone in a way that will familiarize and prepare them the best, and this learning environment and the time we have is helping us a lot, ”said Brown.

Since its implementation this year, the new practical program is an Air Force-wide requirement for all enlisted and officers. All Airmen must complete it every 18 months to familiarize themselves with survival and adaptation techniques in contested environments.