The New Jersey National Guard's 21st Civil Support Team (CST) will be engaged in a simulated emergency exercise in Burlington County on June 28, 2005.

     Due to operational security requirements, the exact location of the exercise CAN NOT be revealed or published until after the exercise has begun.

     Media wishing to cover the event must pre-register with Staff Sergeant Harbison No Later Than 3 p.m. on June 27, 2005.  Directions to the exercise location and other details will be provided at that time.

     The 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 and Explosives) incident site by identifying agents/substances, assessing current and projected consequences, advising on response measures, and assisting with appropriate requests for additional state support.

     The WMD-CST's participate in both military and civilian emergency responder specialized technical training.  Each team member required 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, provided professional instruction.