Guardsmen train for certification

  • Published
  • By Capt. Elizabeth B. Benn
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The Montana National Guard's 83rd Civil Support Team, from Fort Harrison, Helena, Mont., completed their Initial Collective Lanes Training here Tuesday. The 10- day ICLT tested the team's ability to respond to domestic terrorist threats.

Cadre from 5th Army, out of Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, conducted the training, aided by the 341st Space Wing plans and programs office and Team Malmstrom first responders. The team participated in a variety of scenarios, as well as demonstrated its capabilities by assisting Team Malmstrom with an incident outside its normal operating construct. 

"The scenarios were our opportunity to interact with other agencies and really see how we will operate in real-world situations," said Lt. Col. Mike Rand, 83rd CST commander. "We were able to see how we fit into the incident commander's objectives and how we can help." 

CSTs consist of 22 full-time National Guard members, including medical and technical experts. Teams specialize in consequence management and are designed to deploy rapidly to assist a local incident commander in determining the nature and extent of an attack or incident. 

"We're used to our 22 person team and it's pretty easy to make decisions," said Capt. Lila Baba, 83rd CST medical operations officer. "But with these extra people from the other response agencies, it adds to the decision making time, so it's very good practice."

Each team also has two large pieces of equipment, a mobile analytical laboratory used for field analysis of chemical or biological agents, and a uniform command suite to provide interoperability of communications between the various responders who may be on scene or involved in the incident. 

"We have almost any communication medium the response team would need," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Whitney, 83rd CST communications chief "If the Governor calls on his cell phone, we can crossband him through to the incident commander's radio." 

The 341st Space Wing was able to use the uniform command suite's unique capabilities during a mechanical failure at a missile launch facility May 4. 

"It was a total force success," said Col. Geofrey Frazier, 341st Space Wing commander. "The CST's experts transitioned from scheduled training to support of real-world operations outside of their normal scope, and smoothly integrated with our team of security forces, maintainers and depot specialists." 

There are 55 CSTs, one assigned to each state, territory and the District of Columbia, and two in California due to the state's large population. The teams are a key element of the Department of Defense's overall program to provide support to civil authorities in the event of a domestic incident involving weapons of mass destruction.

CSTs are federally resourced, trained and evaluated, but are state assets, performing their primary mission under the command and control of the governor. This unique federal-state relationship decreases the team's response time. CSTs ultimately pave the way for followon agencies. 

Prior to ICLT, each team has undergone 15 months of individual specialty and unit training. Following ICLT, the team must complete operational certification and ultimately be designated certified by the Secretary of Defense. The 83rd CST is scheduled for certification in September. 

"This is our first opportunity to work together in the same location at the same time," said Maj. Mark McGuinley, 83rd CST deputy commander. "We've been in the process of hiring and attending specialized training, but to be in the same place for 10 days, the highs and lows and learning everyone's personality, the team has really jelled. I'm confident we'll be an effective team." 

ICLT at Malmstrom marks Phase V of national CST training and teams from Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wyoming will complete training here through the end of June.