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Hundreds of NATO CBRN specialists train in the Czech Republic

Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

11.6.2024
Author: by First Lieutenant Jitka Tichá

On June 9, 2024, an opening ceremony launched the multinational CBRN defence exercise Coronat Mask 2024 in the Hradiště Military Training Area, Czech Republic. Designed to train 800 plus CBRN defence specialists from thirteen NATO nations, this field training exercise is unparalleled in scope in the modern Czech history.

Hundreds of service members from NATO nations including the United States came to take part in the exercise and brought along a hundred pieces of special equipment.

In the following days, CBRN defence forces are up to incidents that reflect current threats involving weapons of mass destruction. "Individual incidents are designed to verify a wide range of CBRN defence capabilities of NATO units, including Czech ones, in a multinational environment, strengthen interoperability, and last but not least, share experience and procedures," says the deputy commander of the exercise play, Major Radek Koštejn, the chief of combat readiness section of the 31st Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Regiment in Liberec.

Service members are using special harmless simulation substances in the exercise to induce the presence of chemical and radioactive agents. "Presently the most serious threat are chiefly nuclear weapons. That is why we are including, apart from chemical incidents, also incidents with live radioactive agents in the scenario. Units can therefore practice their detection and subsequent deactivation," MAJ Koštejn adds.

During the exercise, service members are forming four bigger multinational units to cooperate and perform tasks as one functional whole. "In the preparation process, commanders of these units have to take into account the differences in the units' capabilities and standard operating procedures," MAJ Koštejn elaborates.

The Coronat Mask 2024 (COMK24) is organized by the 31st Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Regiment home-based in Liberec in cooperation with the NATO Framework Nations Concept (FNC) Cluster CBRN Protection. The last time this traditional exercise took place was in 2018. The subsequent iterations were not possible due to the Covid pandemic and later because of the deployment of Czech CBRN defence forces to the Multinational Battle Group of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence in Lithuania. The exercise is now intended to be held regularly on biennial basis.