THE Philippines is ramping up its personnel training on countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with the assistance of the US, which has been teaching government responders on how to deal with threats and risks associated with chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear (CBRN) incidents in case of an attack, or even a potentially lethal mishap.
In military use, although they are banned, WMDs pose a deadly threat, and armies around the world who never had lessons on how to deal with them or are ill-equipped to face such threats may not survive.
Possession and the use of WMDs—although again, they are illegal—is not entirely a new form of warfare as some modern armies have been documented to take stock of them. Still, dealing with their effects needs specialized training, gear and equipment.
Countering WMDs, both in the instance of an attack accident scenario, requires not only the military’s help, but also that of every agency of the government, especially those engaged in frontline services. Thus, they should be trained on how to handle such.
Firemen’s training
JUST a few days ago, the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) capped its two-week training course for the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on countering WMDs, which included practical lessons.
The training involved more than 100 BFP personnel from every region of the country and focused on the risks that first responders face when encountering a CBRN incident, according to a statement from the US Embassy.
A CBRN incident can be accidental or intentional and BFP officers use their specialized equipment to ascertain what type of chemical or other material is present.
“The course enabled the students to analyze an incident, plan the initial response, and implement defensive actions to include: the selection and use of personal protective equipment, air monitoring and sampling, technical and mass decontamination, victim rescue and recovery, defensive product control, evidence preservation, and illicit laboratory and improvised device awareness,” the embassy said.
The “technicians” course allowed tactical leaders to “analyze a problem, plan and implement a response, evaluate progress, adjust as needed and assist in terminating a WMD incident.”
The BFP was just among the agencies of the government that have been trained by the DRTA, as the government recognizes the need to prepare for a possible incident involving the use of CBRN and how to properly handle it.
The national action plan
AS such, the government formulated the CBRN National Action Plan in 2014 that is aimed at building the country’s capacity to counteract the risks associated with CBRN materials—whether it is natural, accidental or intentional.
The action plan established priority actions that would enhance the country’s capabilities to predict, prevent, prepare for, and perform mitigating activities on CBRN incidents and disasters and to conduct post-action activities.
Part of the plan is to train and equip agencies, including the military, law enforcement and the BFP as first responders.
Just months after the action plan was crafted, the military trained a platoon of soldiers in handling CBRN incidents, with the help of the DRTA. The latter also donated P1 million worth of CBRN and even explosive equipment.
The military viewed the training in handling CBRN and explosives as complementing its ongoing modernization program.
The training and equipage of troops were designed for replication in other units of the military until it has a sizeable number that can deal with these kinds of threats.
“We really can’t tell about the future, but we look back [at] history, we have a lot of major disasters…but suffice it to say that it’s always better to be prepared rather than be sorry when the time comes,” one military official said at that time.
Not too late to start
“WITH the competing priorities in terms of capability development of the Armed Forces, we really, shall we say, are late in developing this capability. But thanks to our counterparts, we are given some support and we’re able to start the capability development for this specific, basically a capability gap because we don’t have that yet,” he pointed out.
The DTRA has been a long-time partner of the country, enabling both sides to learn best practices from each other.
In 2019, the DRTA first trained the BFP on CBRN handling in Metro Manila as it honed its response skills by way of a simulated incident in the capital.
During the exercise, a supposed chemical incident occurred in Manila, and an incident command post was put up. In a matter of minutes, a mock interagency response was put up, with more than 20 agencies coordinating with each other.
The BFP, which is the premier CBRN response agency of the country, continuously holds “refresher and sustainment training on the tactics, techniques and procedures necessary to stay ahead of the emerging risks and threats to the country” with the help of the DRTA.
Last month, Army troops also trained with their US counterparts in responding to CBRN threats in a four-day exercise at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
The exercise honed the interoperability and readiness of Filipino and US forces in responding to CBRN threats.
The Army’s CBRN Battalion and US Army personnel held lectures and practical exercises on mitigating and responding to CBRN attack scenarios.
Image credits: Fernando Cortés | Dreamstime.com, army.mil.ph/Sgt Sanny E Palatao PA/ OG7, TRADOC, PA