EXHIBITING OPERATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL READINESS IN COMBATING CBRE THREATS

A startlingly loud "boom" and billowing clouds of white smoke were the first indications that something had gone terribly wrong at Block 115 at Pasir Laba Camp. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED)with a chemical payload had gone off and a gaseous release was observed emitting from the blast site. Casualties in the blast included the guards and personnel stationed within the building, who were now observed to be streaming out complaining of breathing difficulties and nausea.

The above scenario, detailing the likely happenings during a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosives (CBRE) attack, was played out at the army camp on 9 Dec, as part of a joint CBRE capability demonstration between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) CBRE Defence Group (CBRE DG) and the US Army Pacific (USARPAC).

The demonstration was carried out in conjunction with the 6th Singapore International Symposium on Protection Against Toxic Substances (SISPAT) and the 2nd International CBRE Operations Conference (ICOC) held jointly in Singapore from 8 to 11 Dec.

The simulated non-conventional attack, showed the strong inter-capability collaboration between both armed forces to ensure the safe evacuation and decontamination of personnel and equipment.

As participants of the symposium looked on, the SAF CBRE and USARPAC teams first sent in their response vehicles, which were mounted with chemical stand-off and radiological area surveillance equipment such as the Rapid and the Exploranium GR-660 to quickly confirm the threats present so that the appropriate protective and mitigation measures could be taken.

Robots, such as the Solid Sampling Robot jointly developed by the SAF CBRE DG, DSTA and Singapore Technology Kinetics; and the USARPAC's 71st Chemical Active Response CBRN Team's CBRN Unmanned Ground Vehicle, were then deployed to collect samples and conduct immediate source mitigation.

The capabilities of the Defender, a radiation-hardened robot modified with a Backpack Decon Foam Unit to perform remote decontamination of chemical, biological and radiological agents up to an area of 50 square metres, were also showcased.

As far as possible, CBRE operators utilise robotic means to minimise exposure of responders to unnecessary risk.

Also present on-site at the demonstration were support assets such as the Temasek Lifesciences Laboratories' Bio-safety Level 3 Mobile Lab, which is especially useful for operators performing on-site verification capabilities when the incident site is located far away from the main verification laboratory.

The tasks of stabilising and evacuating the casualties from the "Hot Zone" were completed by the SAF Medical Response Force (MRF) using equipment such as the wheeled Premier Stretchers, which enables faster and easier evacuation as only one person is required to operate it. Decontamination procedures were then carried out at the Decon Line, and personnel exhibiting signs of nerve gas exposure or mass psychogenic illness as a result of the IED blast were subjected to an on-site rapid diagnostic test developed by HQ Medical Corps.

Taking into consideration that information sharing and knowledge exchange between defence personnel will prove key in combating threats of CBRE origin, this joint capability demonstration provided both forces with numerous opportunities to engage in fruitful discussions about the various operational platforms used in CBRE defence, said Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Chan, Commanding Officer of the 39th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers.

Launched in 1998, SISPAT is the sole CBRE symposium in the Asia-Pacific region. It was held together with the 1st ICOC in 2006 to encourage the international scientific and operations communities to come together to share knowledge, build up expertise and enhance interoperability.

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