JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J.— -- A team from the Defense Nuclear Weapons School (DNWS) located on Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, conducted Nuclear Weapons Incident Response Training (NWIRT) with emergency responders at the 87th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management facility on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Feb. 8 to 10.
The NWIRT course is tailored to provide attendees an overview of Department of Defense (DOD) roles and responsibilities in responding to a nuclear weapons incident and the coordination and synchronization with the Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as mandated by national policy.
“NWIRT is an important program because it provides training opportunities to interagency stakeholders and response personnel that range from tactical, operational and strategic competencies within the nuclear enterprise,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shaun Ouellette, DNWS Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) NWIRT program manager. “This course provides attendees, at times their first exposure with interagency partners, to assist in building relationships, understanding partner response capabilities and mission requirements of operating in a unified command.”
The DTRA is a unique entity within the DNWS that provides training in nuclear weapons, such as: chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incident command, control and response, CBRN modeling for the DOD and other federal, state, and local agencies.
During the three-day NWIRT course, interagency experts presented information and conducted table-top exercises with the Initial Response Force (IRF), Response Task Force (RTF), and commanders and staff, on subjects ranging from radiological response to addressing issues specific to a nuclear weapons incident.
Ouellette compared this training course to an analogy of a jigsaw puzzle.
“On the first day of the course the instructors cover nuclear weapons doctrine, policies, and the foundation of nuclear weapons response, including history and other lessons learned from national level exercises,” said Ouellette. “This serves as the corners and the edge pieces of the puzzle, and establishes the nuclear weapons response framework. On the second and third day, we start incorporating presentations from our interagency partners to provide a full picture of the many pieces we bring together in a whole-of-government response.”
The NWIRT course is a one-time requirement for IRT or RTF members, although Ouellette recommends repeat attendance and/or seeking other training opportunities with the DNWS to continue establishing a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the nuclear enterprise, and to network across local, state and federal agencies.
“This course has some of the best information that I have ever received throughout my military career,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kevin Pirc-Spranger, 87th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management superintendent. “With this NWIRT course, I have a better understanding on what role that I play in order to respond to such nuclear weapons incidents, while collaborating with other federal agencies. The DNWS instructors did a great job, not only on being knowledgeable with the material, but relaying it to us in a simple and effective way that the class could comprehend.”
The DNWS NWIRT program directly supports U.S. strategic deterrent objective efforts to ensure safety, security, and credibility through nuclear readiness efforts and force preparedness education.