YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea –
Soldiers from 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives, or
CBRNE, Command prepared to return home following Exercise Key Resolve in South
Korea, March 13.
The 20th CBRNE Command participated in the two-week
exercise that keeps U.S. and South Korean forces ready to deter aggression on
the Korean Peninsula and maintain stability in the Asia-Pacific
region.
The command post exercise is defensive in nature and involves
forces in the United States. This year, United Nations Command troops from
Australia, Canada, Denmark, France and Great Britain took part in Key
Resolve.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, 20th CBRNE
Soldiers deployed to the Korean Peninsula and served with Eighth Army during the
exercise.
The 20th CBRNE Command also deployed the 71st Explosive
Ordnance Disposal Group, or EOD, based out of Fort Carson, Colorado, to serve
with the 2nd Infantry Division.
Soldiers and civilians from 20th CBRNE
train to counter the full range of CBRNE threats from improvised explosive
devices to weapons of mass destruction. The only command of its kind in the
Department of Defense, 20th CBRNE trains with joint, interagency and allied
partners around the world.
"Key Resolve is a great training opportunity
for our Soldiers and the U.S.-ROK [Republic of Korea] Alliance," said 20th CBRNE
Commanding General Brig. Gen. JB Burton, who served as the deputy commanding
general for maneuver of the 2nd Infantry Division before assuming command of
20th CBRNE in May 2013.
Burton said the 20th CBRNE Command has built a
strong and enduring relationship with the Republic of Korea Army Chemical,
Biological and Radiological Defense Command.
In addition to
participating in annual exercises in Korea, the 20th CBRNE Command also trained
with South Korean forces during Exercise Atropian Phoenix 2014 at the National
Training Center on Fort Irwin, California.
"It is always great to train
with our South Korean allies and our fellow American Soldiers in Korea," said
Burton, a native of Tullahoma, Tennessee. "For more than 64 years, the U.S. Army
has demonstrated our nation's enduring commitment to defending liberty on
Freedom's Frontier."