More than 130 airmen from the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M., were recently assigned to US Northern Command’s first dedicated response force for dealing with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive incidents anywhere in the US. This joint-service group of about 4,700 military personnel, which stood up on Oct. 1, is called the CBRNE consequence management response force, or CCMRF. The Holloman airmen make up the sole engineering capability under the response force’s task force operations. “Our mission is to enable task force operations to be able to conduct decontamination, search and rescue, and other civil support operations,” said Lt. Col. Michael Myers, 49 CES commander. The squadron will not deploy to another area of responsibility during Fiscal 2009 so it can become familiar with its CCMRF responsibilities. Further, Myers said, unit members will be increasing their weapons qualification training over the next few months. (Holloman report by Amn. Sondra Escutia)
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3