Insights

and

ISSN: 2154-4476

Published by Tactical Defense Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly forbidden. ©2020

Tactical Defense Media publications are free to members of the U.S. military, employees of the U.S. government, non-U.S. foreign service based in the U.S. and defense contractors. All TDM publications are sent electronically to international readers.

Mailing Address Tactical Defense Media, Inc. PO Box 1404 Olney, MD 20830 USA Telephone: (301) 974-9792 Fax: (443) 637-3714 www.TacticalDefenseMedia.com circulation@tacticaldefensemedia.com editorial@tacticaldefensemedia.com advertising@tacticaldefensemedia.com

Tactical Defense Media Publications

Proud Members

As Summer gives way to Autumn, threats to national security seem greater at home than in recent memory. National, state, and local response to an ongoing pandemic continues to play out while those who defend the nation from everyday threats, such as potential biological or chemical attack, and real-world illicit activities to and from our borders, continue keeping the country safe.

The Fall 2020 issue of Security & Border and CST/CBRNE examines myriad ways DoD continues to respond to challenges related to COVID-19 and its effect on American defense and security missions at home and internationally. Setting an example for the nation’s pandemic defense response at the state level, units of the Georgia National Guard are deploying Infection Control Teams (ICTs) in coordination with neighboring state agencies to help mitigate the spread. From Georgia to the border, Gaetano Cordone, Deputy Executive Director, Sea, Mobility, and Biometrics, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), spoke with Security & Border on advances CBP has made in maintaining precise identification control over travelers entering and leaving American soil. Mr. Cordone makes note of the added measures the agency has taken to keep personnel and those they come into contact with safe during the recent months since the pandemic began. From the border to efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adopt early, enhanced biological threat recognition, we hear from Dr. Lloyd Hough, Tech Lead, Bio Threat Characterization, Hazard Awareness & Characterization Technology Center (HAC-TC), DHS, who speaks to efforts by the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) to provide the U.S. with better forensic investigatory and defensive research capabilities to help thwart potential mass biological attacks.

The rapid evolution of chemical-based threats to national security have led the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to develop methodology for Detecting Indicators of Chemical Exposure (DICE) as a way of minimizing impact to those may have come in contact with potentially-toxic chemical agents. The reduction and eventual elimination of much of what to this day remains present in America’s stockpile of decommissioned chemical weapons is the mission of the Chemical Materials Activity (CMA) Recovered Chemical Materiel Directorate (RCMD). RCMD Director Donald Benton spoke with CST/CBRNE about his organization’s efforts to not only assess and neutralize recovered weapons, but to do so in an environmentally-responsible manner.

Back in the COVID fight, the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, is leading Army efforts to bring the latest in mobile viral testing labs, field decontamination, and canine-based detection to Soldiers and support personnel on the front lines. Rounding off the issue, two perspectives from industry offer insight into the latest in skin and wearable viral protection so that those who protect us are themselves protected.

As always, your comments are welcome. Thanks for the readership and stay safe!

Christian Sheehy

Editor christian@tacticaldefensemedia.com

Jittima Saiwongnuan

Graphic Designer jittima@tacticaldefensemedia.com

Sonia Bagherian

Publisher soniab@tacticaldefensemedia.com

Ellie Collins

Circulation Manager elliec@tacticaldefensemedia.com

DISCLAIMER: Tactical Defense Media (TDM) is privileged to publish work by members of the military and government personnel. We make a special effort to allow writers to review their articles before publication, critique our edits, and make changes. TDM typically follows, but is not bound by, the AP Stylebook and reserves the right to determine the style, including but not limited to capitalizations and other grammatical aspects, except in the cases where the style is dictated by military or DoD standards and practices.

STATE PANDEMIC RESPONSE MOBILE MED OUTREACH PROJECTING CRISIS-LEVEL, STATE-WIDE RESPONSE The Georgia National Guard became the first National Guard unit to deploy Infection Control Teams (ICTs) in response to the spread of COVID-19. By MSG Steve Phoenix, GA National Guard

Georgia Army National Guardsmen with the Decatur-based 170th Military Police Company disinfect the Kings Bridge Retirement Community Home Thursday, April 2nd in Decatur, Georgia. These soldiers make up just one of several Infection Control Teams across the state that are working to help decontaminate residential facilities in the combat against the spread of COVID-19. (GA Nat. Guard)

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Soldiers and Airmen of the Georgia National Guard were mobilized to State Active Duty and put to the test of Defense Support to Civilian Authorities (DSCA). The State of Georgia has over 600 Soldiers and Airmen involved with the National Guard Bureau’s (NGB) Chemical-BiologicalRadiological-Nuclear (CBRN) Response Enterprise (CRE) program. These Guardsmen include those of the 4th Civil Support Team (CST), the State’s CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Packages (CERFP), and the Homeland Response Force (HRF). This group of Guardsmen are all part of the 201st Regional Support Group (RSG), which comprise the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region IV HRF. Georgia’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team provided an additional 1200 Soldiers to the fight to support the humanitarian missions to alleviate suffering of the citizens of Georgia.

RESPONDING TO THE GOVERNOR’S CALL

Early on, as COVID-19 was spreading and there was limited experience or information about the virus, Georgia’s Leaders understood that flattening the curve of the virus spreading was a planning factor to keep the hospitals and medical community from becoming overwhelmed. The Governor’s Task Force on COVID19 determined Georgia had a limited number of Intensive Care Unit/ Critical Care (ICU/CC) beds and a limited number of ventilators. The Governor’s Task Force also understood that when it comes to residents of a Long Term Care Facility (LTCF), or nursing home, there is a very high likelihood that they would need one of those CC beds and require a ventilator should they become infected. To maximize bed availability and keep those beds available for others that would need it, the Governor’s Task Force came up with a plan to keep one of our most vulnerable demographics out of the hospitals. This led to the creation of the Infection Control Team (ICT) concept.

Late in the afternoon of 31 March 2020, an LTCF in South Georgia called the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and requested assistance for the more than two dozen cases of COVID-19 they were experiencing. The Soldiers from the State Safety office had the experience necessary. For two weeks they had been cleaning barracks on Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Clay National Guard Center that were used for approximately 200 quarantined U.S. citizens from a Pacific Ocean, South East Asia cruise liner. Earlier

in the year, the Soldiers of the State Safety Office were tasked to clean barracks that had become overwhelmed with mold. The team determined that if they could fog and wipe down the barracks to kill the mold, they could do the same for the virus, which is much easier to kill than mold.

During the process of disinfecting the empty barracks space that was used to house the cruise ship guests, the call came to assist the South Georgia LTCF. Soldiers of the 201st RSG and the State Safety office quickly developed a protocol to fog and clean the facility to stop or slow the spread of the virus in the LTCF. The 201st RSG Soldiers drove five hours to the LTCF and began disinfecting the facility. They then focused on teaching the staff of the nursing home how to properly don, doff, dispose of their personal protective equipment (PPE), and maintain a “hot,” “warm,” and “cold” zone to limit the cross-contamination of the virus. The two-day process of cleaning and disinfecting the 100-bed plus facility was welcomed by the staff and management and seen as a success by the Georgia Guard leadership and the Governor’s office. The Governor and Adjutant General gave the order to ramp up the training of teams and get them to work across the state in other LTCFs. Training for Georgia Guardsman began in earnest to man a total of over 75, 14-person ICTs at the pinnacle.

DESIGNATING STANDARDS FOR DISINFECTION AND PROTECTION

The Department of Public Health, in conjunction with the Governor’s Task Force on COVID-19, supplied the National Guard with the name and number of every LTCF in Georgia. Soldiers and Airmen went to work with military precision and quickly divided the state up into Areas of Operations (AO), giving specific units responsibility to contact, schedule, and clean the LTCFs in its AO. During the 31 days of April, more than 1000 Citizen Soldiers and Airmen of the Georgia National Guard disinfected and cleaned over 634 LTCFs to help protect the citizens of Georgia. The ICTs also cleaned several Sheriff’s Offices, City Halls, Police Departments, and Court Houses to ensure government services were not interrupted.

The protocol for disinfecting and cleaning included fogging, wiping down commonly touched surfaces, and teaching the staff how to properly wear, take off, and dispose of their PPE. The Teams would often leave additional PPE behind to ensure the staff had adequate protection while working. One disinfectant used was a variant of hypo-chlorous acid (HCl), and a second solution was a variant of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a surfactant. Both were initially designed to mitigate mold in living quarters, so it made sense that they were strong enough to kill the virus, yet mild enough to use in LTCFs. Per Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, any Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) N-listed disinfectant would be suitable for the job. The Guard chose those two solutions as they had experience using them in the past, and the Georgia Building Authority had already approved them for use in living quarters. A supply chain was quickly developed, and a logistics hub established by the 201st Regional Support Group (RSG) at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, just outside Atlanta, for getting the solutions and supplies to the ICT Soldiers throughout the state.

The logistics hub also provided the PPE the ICTs needed to protect themselves while disinfecting and cleaning the LTCFs. The PPE selected started with standard N95 masks, face shields, and medical splash protection coveralls. A decision was made to move

away from the medical coveralls that the public was used to seeing and go to the HAZMAT Tyvek, Level B, splash protection overall, and military M50 mask variants. The decision to make that switch was predicated on the use rates of the medical coveralls and N95 masks. The paper-weight coveralls and N95 masks were suitable for only one use and could not be disinfected quickly. The military hazardous material (HAZMAT) Tyvek and N95 masks are products the Soldiers were already trained to use, easy to disinfect, and supplies medical aid workers needed were never depleted in the care of citizens. The National Guard Bureau CBRN Response Enterprise (NGB CRE) had thousands of the heavier Kappler Tyvek suits on hand to use in the event of a large scale CBRN event or attack. The decision was made to use the military suits, and NGB provided its guidance on reporting. The COVID-19 pandemic was indeed a large-scale biological event and warranted the use of equipment stockpiles.

One of the most significant risks the ICTs faced was becoming the vector of the virus by taking it from one LTCF to another while cleaning. Strict protocols were put in place to disinfect all the equipment and PPE on-site, in the parking lots of the LTCF, and then once more when they returned to their respective armories. The entire HAZMAT suit was dunked in a tank of disinfectant and then rinsed out and hang dried to be used the next day. The same procedure was followed when disinfecting the military masks. The N95 mask is called such because it can filter 95 percent of particles down to a .03-micron level. To compare, using a cloth covering or a surgical mask will only stop, not filter 40 percent of the same particles. The military mask will filter 99.5 percent of the particles down to .03-micron level. This practice ensured Guardsmen did not carry the virus to the next LTCF. There were initial concerns about the optics of uniformed Guardsmen going into the LTCF with their military masks and suits. However, once the nursing home staff and residents understood why they were there, they welcomed the Servicemembers with smiles.

PARTNERING ACROSS STATE LINES

Adjoining states and National Guard Bureau, in Washington, DC, quickly heard of this protocol the Georgia National Guard was using and requested training and guidance for their Guardsman. Through a written product and accompanying video, the Georgia National Guard gladly shared their knowledge and experience with all who asked.

As a result of the collective initiative of Georgia’s leadership and the creativity of its Guardsmen, the state rapidly “flattened the curve” and its healthcare resources stayed well below capacity. Over 31 days of disinfecting and training LTCFs ensured that Georgia never used more than 78 percent of their ICU/CC beds and even fewer ventilators. The Georgia Adjutant General (TAG), MG Thomas M. Carden, continually states, “The Georgia Guard will not be late to need and will alleviate suffering for the citizens of Georgia.” It is a testament to the foresight, resolve, and willingness to work in the service of others that the Georgia Guard’s men and women who made up the Infection Control Teams were so successful.

SCAN & SIGN UP FOR YOUR SUBSCRIPTION www.tacticaldefensemedia.com | download digital magazine today!

CHEMICAL WARFARE DEFENSE EXPOSURE EARLY DETECTION LOADING THE DICE The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is working to deliver early integrated warnings for chemical exposure on the battlefield. By Stephanie Calderwood, S&T Manager, Carl Brown, PM, Strategic Comm & Outreach, and Vipra Ghimire, Print Editor, DTRA

A new chemical sensor, will evaluate changes in the bodies analytes, such as oxygen and lactate, to detect a warfighter’s exposure to a chemical agent. (DTRA)

A wise person once wrote that necessity is the mother of invention, and stories of inventions teach us that the process of developing a prototype relies, in part or entirely, on collaboration. In keeping with this tradition, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Chemical and Biological Technologies Department (DTRA CB), in its role as the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) for Chemical and Biological Defense, collaborated with the California-based company PercuSense to develop a tool that proactively monitors a warfighter’s health for exposure to chemical warfare agents. The collaboration launched the Detecting Indicators of Chemical Exposure (DICE) project in February 2020.

U.S. warfighters are often deployed to locations where potential exposure to chemical warfare agents is possible. Moreover, the use of toxic industrial chemicals as terror or warfare agents is also a concern. In 1994, The U.S. Congress established the Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) to consolidate the development and delivery of capabilities that mitigate the effects of chemical and biological hazards to the warfighter. CBDP is responsible for conducting research and development efforts to deliver capabilities and products that allow the warfighter to maintain combat readiness in a chemical- and biological-contested environment. DTRA is an integral part of the CBDP and was established in 1998 as a result of the Defense Reform Initiative. DTRA has a unique role in the Department of Defense’s efforts regarding countering weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) and supports a broad range of activities across the CWMD mission, one of which is managing and integrating science and technology programs in chemical and biological defense, under the oversight of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs (ASD-NCB).

RECOGNIZE EXPOSURE, MINIMIZE IMPACT

The CBDP and DTRA missions are more than simply complementary — they are intertwined. The DTRA mission to counter and deter weapons of mass destruction and improvised threat networks, and the CBDP responsibility to develop and acquire

a family of integrated and interoperable chemical, The chemical sensor will adapt features of its biological, radiological defense capabilities that enable commercial, off-the-shelf device to create a new, relevant CWMD missions and enable military forces to operate tool that operates across the spectrum of potential use successfully in chemical, biological, radiological, and cases. The chemical sensor will be minimally invasive and nuclear environments require the close and integrated attach to the wearer's skin, likely on the upper arm. The relationship that currently exists. To this end, DTRA sensor will monitor and measure the levels of multiple manages the Joint Science and Technology Office for chemical components, or analytes, in the warfighter’s Chemical and Biological Defense, which executes the body. Multiple electrodes in the sensor will detect the CBDP’s science and technology activities. Through the DICE project, DTRA-JSTO is leading Dr. Richard Schoske analytes for exposure to one of these agents: opioid, organophosphate, and mustard. The sensor is akin to a development of a health-monitoring capability that check-engine light in a car, alerting the warfighter of an rapidly recognizes exposure to a chemical warfare agent in order exposure to a chemical agent and the need for medical evaluation to improve short-term risk management and reduce long-term and care. An off-the-shelf vital-sign monitor will be paired with the physiological impact. Chemical agents can be in a liquid, vapor, or chemical sensor, and a custom application and algorithm will calculate solid state and may include compounds that are manufactured in electrochemical and vital sign data into a risk score that will be a laboratory (for example, some pesticides) or that occur naturally displayed through an application on a smartwatch. The higher the risk in the environment (for example, arsenic). The effects of exposure score, the greater the likelihood that the warfighter was exposed to a to a chemical agent can manifest either immediately or over time, toxic chemical. depending on the chemical, its quantity, and the route of exposure In short order, the DICE project will have produced and evaluated (skin contact, inhalation). Physiological effects include symptoms the feasibility of the new chemical sensor and gathered preliminary that range from eye or nasal irritation to difficulty breathing and data on the sensor’s performance to continuously monitor exposure altered mental state. For example, chemical nerve agents, such as to chemical warfare agents of interest, and the prototype of the new sarin and VX, may act rapidly upon exposure and cause symptoms sensor will be compliant with established specifications. The new, ranging from headaches and runny noses to seizures and respiratory wearable technology that also works with ATAK promises to provide a distress. However, symptoms of mustard gas may appear 2–24 hours capability with the necessary decision-support data to keep users safe, after exposure with blisters, sore throat, dry cough, or diarrhea. To healthy, and better able to complete their mission. better assure the health of warfighters on the battlefield, it is critical to proactively monitor their vital signs and relevant biomarkers to quickly care for individuals exposed to chemical agents.

The DICE project will produce a capability that supports the implementation of an integrated, early warning system by bringing together currently disconnected and disparate battlefield components: monitoring a warfighter’s health and the chemical toxicity of a battlefield’s environment. The new capability will monitor electrochemical and physiological markers indicating exposure to a Portable Mass Spectrometers for Defense Threat Reduction chemical agent and provide real-time feedback to users on chemical changes occurring in their bodies — and alert them of impending danger. “Developing this chemical sensor is an example of the work DTRA and the Chemical and Biological Defense Program routinely engages in to better protect warfighters,” says Dr. Richard Schoske, Chief of the Detection and Diagnostics Division within DTRA-JSTO. “DICE project is also an example of a government-industry initiative that enables swift innovation and propels the Department of Defense forward in its effort to reform its business practices for greater performance and affordability.”

DIGITAL SENSORY ENABLED

The new sensor and its instrumentation will also be compliant with a digital, geospatial mapping application that warfighters can access: the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK). ATAK helps warfighters self-identify where they are on the ground so that they can communicate their movements to each other. For example, the software successfully helped coordinate the relief efforts following Hurricane Florence in 2018. ATAK can guide warfighters to safety from a release of chemical and biological agents and radiological and nuclear threats. The chemical sensor’s compliance with ATAK will also enable the communication of a warfighter in physiological distress.

BaySpec’s Field Mass Spectrometers Don’t Wait for Answers

n Real-time Results n Chemical & Biological Agents n Infectious Diseases n Biological Toxins n Decontamination n Atmospheric Monitoring

BaySpec, Inc. | 1101 McKay Drive | San Jose, CA 95131 (408) 512-5928 | www.bayspec.com | Made in USA