Supporting America's Homeland Security - Devil-Dog style My month with the U.S. Marine Corps

  • Published
  • By Capt. Carla Gleason
  • 433rd Airlift Wing
After participating in several national level exercises, being part of a headquarters joint planning group and spending months with a joint task force, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the various roles of consequence management forces including state Civil Support Teams, CBRN Enhanced Response Force Packages and the U.S. Marine Corps' Chemical Biological Initial Response Force. But nothing takes the place of hands-on experience, so after spending a month with CBIRF, as the famous saying goes, I now know what I don't know. As an Air Force officer being thrown head first into a Marine unit (not a joint unit, mind you, it's all Marine with a smattering of Sailors) I felt a little like I had been tossed to the wolves, expecting to be assailed by the five-finger-death punch around every corner, or, at the very least, forced to run thirty miles with a load of bricks on my back. But after getting over the initial culture shock that came with assimilating into Marine life, what I witnessed was a group of trained, often combat-hardened warriors channeling all of that assertive action into a very different type of response, and doing it well. "It is a big transition to go from door-kicker in Iraq to a life-saver in America," said CBIRF First Sergeant Kevin Anderson, adding that his Marines don't just do their job "well," they do it exceptionally. Thank you First Sergeant, I agree. The military is fond of jargon and acronyms, especially for those of us who practice our military craft in the art of Defense Support to Civil Authorities. CBIRF uses big scary words like incident response force and chemical biological radiological nuclear and high-yield explosive incidents and tell people with a straight face and all seriousness that their mission is to: "When directed, forward-deploy and/or respond to a credible threat of a CBRNE incident in order to assist local, state or federal agencies and designated Combatant Commanders in the conduct of consequence management operations." What does that mean anyway? After awhile the words just run together. If you ask what that is in laymen terms the message comes out a little cleaner: "We are a life-saving organization, that's what it comes down to," said Maj. Michael S. Johnson, Initial Response Force mission commander. Despite what the CBIRF mission statement may read on paper, after spending a month with this unique company of Marines I can tell you with all certainty they believe and operate with the complete conviction that their job is to save lives. Hundreds of lives. Right here on American soil. Once you get past the glossary of terms you find the real nitty-gritty of what it takes to prepare for the worst while still hoping for the best. CBIRF Marines and Sailors work under the necessary constraints of response in the United States. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 USC 5121 et.) authorizes the president to provide emergency assistance to local governments if the governor requests it. Then, after the president and secretary of defense direct it, federal military forces can engage in civil support domestically. That is where CBIRF comes in, bringing specialized CBRNE capabilities to the table coupled with all the tenacity and dedication for which the Marines are known. "Someone has to carryout this mission," said Cpl. Julius Smoak, a CBIRF Marine who works in the reconnaissance section. "If we didn't have this safeguard in place, we would be scrambling to respond if something happened." To understand the mission behind CBIRF, first you have to get past the intimidating unit name. Chemical Biological Radiological Incident Response Force may be technically accurate but it says nothing about what this quick reaction, emergency response team actually does. CBIRF prepares, trains and works to saves lives, and they do it in the most hazardous conditions imaginable. CBIRF is designed to help first responders with life-saving capabilities should America be hit by a large-scale weapon of mass destruction attack or other CBRNE incident. I can't tell you what CBIRF's actual response time is, but trust me it's quick. Naturally CBIRF is most effective when they're called in early or even pre-positioned. CBIRF is completely self-sustaining, from command and control elements, agent and radiological detection to search and rescue and decontamination capabilities. Every CBIRF member is trained in every aspect of response so they are all able to carryout the mission, regardless of their actual assigned "job." They are also trained to collaborate seamlessly with National Guard response units like the CSTs and CERF-Ps, providing additional capabilities and expertise to the state's rescue efforts. CBIRF is a national asset, but counter to their Marine culture, CBIRF isn't designed to take charge. FEMA or another designated primary agency will do that, but they definitely bring the strength and organization of a military unit to bear when responding. "I think we maintain a level of training and ... that is difficult for other organizations to replicate," said Col. John Pollock, CBIRF commander. "As an active duty organization we have the luxury of training together on a daily basis and repetition builds organizational muscle memory." In the end, after all of the specialized training, one-of-a-kind skill sets and on-the-job experience that is uniquely CBIRF, what happens to these Marines after they complete their tour of duty with CBIRF? They return to USMC combat units and duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of their new-found proficiencies will transfer, but many will not. Marines view themselves as warriors, the minotaur of military service. CBIRF members are expertly trained and uniquely equipped to operate in dangerous and demanding situations and they prepare for it 240 days out of every 365. That's more training hour for hour than the state CSTs and CERF-Ps combined. They respond quickly, they react effectively and when their mission is complete, they get up and do it all again the next day. And although their time with CBIRF is intense, their heart is in the fight and eventually, they are drawn back in to the expeditionary fold. "I was raised to believe that people have great potential in life and the Marine Corps believes that too," said Corporal Smoak. "It makes me feel like I'm at home." Semper Fi, and Aim High Air Force.