CBRN Troops Bolster US and South Korean Security Alliance
A US Army Chemical Corps company is training with American and South Korean personnel close to the North Korean border one of the most heavily guarded areas in the world. Troops from the 59th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Company (Hazardous Response) are nicknamed the “Mountain Dragons” are helping to boost the Republic of Korea and US combined defence during a rotational deployment close to the Demilitarised Zone.
The CBRN company has been deployed in South Korea since July 2023 and are usually based at Fort drum in New York. They have been training and supporting the 23rd CBRN Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and Eighth Army. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Phillip M. Ellis commented on his time in Korea with the Mountain Dragons who have been integrated into the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division; 210th Fires Brigade; and 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, saying:
“The 59th CBRN Company has focused on war-fighting first during its nine-month rotation to South Korea. The Mountain Dragons regularly practice their ability to quickly assemble and perform their mission of providing CBRN reconnaissance and decontamination support.”
The 59th CBRN company has been supporting counter weapons of mass destruction missions as well as giving instruction on combating chemical, biological and nuclear hazards as part of their deployment to South Korea. Ellis commented further on the role of the Mountain Dragons in the region:
“The Mountain Dragons put their skills and experience to the test with an intense seven-day validation exercise where the company’s performance was exemplary, exploiting chemical, biological and nuclear targets across a non-continuous area of operations consisting of underground facilities.”
Captain Evans P. Shortsleeve, commander of the 59th CBRN Company remarked on his troops and their commitment to their mission in South Korea:
“I am proud of the Mountain Dragons service on the Korean Peninsula as the most forward hazard response company in the U.S. Army during the 70th year of the ROK-U.S. Alliance…The Mountain Dragons are fighting well above their weight class as we focus on war-fighting to increase the proficiency of the interoperability between U.S. forces and ROK partners.”
The company has also trained with a large number of Republic of South Korean troops since July 2023 and were present during Exercise Ulichi Freedom Shield in August. In October this year the ROK-US military alliance marked its 70th anniversary since a mutual defence treaty was singed by the two nations on October 1, 1953, following the end of the Korean War.