The United States Department of Defense announced today that New Jersey would be among the 12 states selected to receive one of the 12 additional Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Teams (WMD-CST's).

     Congress directed the establishment of 23 additional teams in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY03 and funded the establishment of the first 12 in the Defense Appropriations Act for FY04.  Currently, there are 32 certified teams across the country.   Current total estimated cost for the 23 teams is approximately $193 million.  Congress appropriated $88.2 million in the defense appropriations bill to set up the 12 teams in FY04.

     While applauding the Governor, all the members of the state's congressional delegation, and the National Guard Bureau in Washington for their cooperation in the effort to bring this very important asset to the Garden State, Brig. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, the Adjutant General of New Jersey said the decision as to where the CST would be stationed is still under consideration.

     According to a DOD press release, the decision regarding which states would be selected was based on Defense Threat Reduction Agency analysis of objective criteria such as population density, port and coastal security challenges, location of Department of Defense installations, protection of critical infrastructure, and the presence of symbolic sites of national significance. New Jersey has no fewer than eight major military installations to include Fort Dix, Fort Monmouth, Picatinny Arsenal, McGuire Air Force Base, Air National Guard Base (Atlantic City International Airport), Earle Naval Ammunition Depot, Lakehurst Naval Air Station, and the Coast Guard Training Facility in Cape May.

     WMD-CST personnel are capable of rapid response/rapid deployment to assist local first responders in determining the nature of any suspected terrorist attack, provide medical and technical advice, identify the need for additional assets; and properly prepare for the arrival and deployment of additional state or federal response assets.

     Each CST team consists of 22 highly skilled, full-time members of the Army and Air National Guard who, through the state's Adjutant General come directly under the command and control of the Governor, yet are fully resourced, trained, and evaluated by the federal government.

     The Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team supports civilian authorities at a domestic CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, environmental) incident site by identifying agents/substances, assessing current and projected consequences, advising on response measures, and assisting with appropriate requests for additional state support.   Each team will require 18 to 24 months to staff, equip, and train personnel to be ready for Secretary of Defense certification.

     The WMD-CST's participate in both military and civilian emergency responder specialized technical training.  Each team member will require approximately 600-800 hours of initial training above and beyond his or her primary military occupational skill (MOS) qualification or professional military education requirement.  Several DOD schools, the National Fire Academy, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) as well as other relevant agencies, will provide professional instruction.

     WMD teams are each equipped with high-tech detection, analytical, monitoring, and protective equipment. Units also possess satellite, secure digital, and secure voice communication to provide connectivity with either civilian or military forces within the operational area.   Existing WMD-CST's have already served in several high-visibility critical operations, demonstrating their unique and vital capabilities to incident commanders.  These operations include, but are not limited to New York City on Sept 11th, suspected Anthrax incidents, Space Shuttle Challenger recovery support, the 2003 New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and a wide range of other high-profile events.