With the ever-evolving contemporary nature of external and internal threats to the safety and security of the American homeland, it becomes increasingly important to consider all of the possible contingencies for which an active-duty military component force might have to provide emergency response and consequence management (CM) capabilities in the event of a major incident on United States soil. The active force consigned for this purpose, designed to provide a large contingent for support during a major event involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosives (CBRNE) materials was designated as the Defense CBRNE Response Force (DCRF) per the CBRNE Enterprise of 2011. This purpose of this thesis was to examine the capacity of the DCRF in responding to a situation similar to the standardized scenarios presented as part of the National Preparedness Guidelines. The nascent nature of the DCRF and the difficulties of integration into national-level exercises involving local and state-level responders (including National Guard forces) suggest further study of the design of the DCRF is warranted. The DCRF itself is stood-up on a rotational basis between two Maneuver Enhancement Brigades (MEBs) within the United States, leading to long train-up times and challenges with continuity, collaborative training, and operational tempo. The study discussed these issues and suggestions for DCRF design, planning, and training that could significantly improve the ability to mitigate suffering and provide essential support in the event of a major CBRNE incident.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)