PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command are holding their annual Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Summit this week at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
The purpose of this year’s summit is to bring together Canadian and U.S. CBRN personnel from local, state, national and military organizations to give the current composition of the CBRN Response Enterprise a hard look and determine if changes need to be made.
“It’s part two of a three-part strategic assessment for the CBRN Response Enterprise,” said Army Lt. Col. Pete Lofy, Deputy Chief of NORAD and USNORTHCOM CBRN Operations. “The first part was a rehearsal of concept for the CBRN Response Enterprise and had a military focus. Round two has an interagency focus.”
Lofy said the summit will look at several aspects of the enterprise and ask hard questions. Any changes that are determined to be necessary would affect the Fiscal Year 2015 CBRN Response Enterprise.
“We’re going to look at whether we are addressing the missions and requirements,” he said. “Do we have the right units conducting these missions? Are the logistical functions set up to support the CBRN Response Enterprise? And are we satisfying the Interagency’s requirements for consequence management in the homeland?”
The summit consists of panel discussions, working groups, static displays and a table-top exercise wherein CBRN organizations respond to a simulated incident on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Public Safety Canada and Canada Command have sent representatives to the summit while on the U.S. side organizations such as the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as local responders from Denver and Michigan will also be participating.
The summit ends March 15.