Homeland Security

When conducting operations, a CST may operate in very diverse environments or in unique situations that will impact mission execution. This appendix will briefly present some of these situations and environments, along with some of the unique challenges they present. Further discussion and guidance on this subject can be found in various CBRNE-related doctrinal manuals, to include FMs 3-4, 3-5, and 3-19.

Q-1. CSTs will operate in diverse (special) environments that range from various climatic zones to various geographical locations (such as maritime, federal or military installations). These special environments may necessitate additional mission analysis to determine the impact of that environment on CST mission operations and what countermeasures will be used to assure effective and safe mission execution.

Q-2. Desert and subtropical. Selected operational considerations that could impact working in a desert environment are—

• Work/rest cycles.
• Downrange time.
• Possible equipment limitations (such as equipment that has limited operating temperature ranges).
• Equipment.
• Condensation in PPE.
• Storage of PPE and samples.
• Water supply.
• Shelter ventilation and environmental controls.
• Battery life.
• Excess dust and sand.

Q-3. Urban. Selected operational considerations that could affect working in an urban environment are—

• High-rise buildings.
• Subways, sewers, and other subterranean areas.
• Schools, stadiums, malls, and other high-density population areas.
• TIM.
• Congested terrain.
• Transportation networks.
• Forested areas.
• Government buildings (federal, state, and local infrastructure).
• Public works.

Q-4. Cold. Selected operational considerations that could affect working in a cold-weather environment are—

• Collecting samples.
• Heating shelters.
• Maintaining hydration.
• Assessing the impact on equipment (such as diesel engines, battery life).
• Assessing decontamination requirements (such as dry versus wet decontamination).

Q-5. Maritime. Selected operational considerations that could affect working in a Maritime environment are—

• Operating in confined spaces.
• Establishing a foothold or boarding in Level A.
• Assessing the effects of salt water on equipment.
• Assessing the impact of jurisdictional issues.
• Conducting decontamination/ waste disposal.
• Selecting PPE for below-decks operations.

Q-6. Sensitive locations. Jurisdictional and interoperability considerations could affect working in sensitive locations. Sensitive locations could include—

• Embassies (in the US).
• Border crossing points.
• Indian reservations.
• Restricted (classified) areas.

Q-7. Military or federal property. Selected considerations that could affect working on military or federal property are—

• Weapons control.
• C² issues.
• Jurisdictional issues.
• Restricted areas.
• Nuclear-area exclusion zones.

Q-8. High altitude. Selected considerations that could affect when working in a high-altitude environment are—

• Persistence of agents.
• Work-rest cycles.
• Altitude sickness.

Q-9. Remote locations. Selected considerations that could affect working in a remote location are—

• Absence of infrastructure.
• Requirement for extended long-range communications.
• Lack of transportation, medical resources, power generation, or other logistics shortages.

Q-10. CSTs may operate in special situations that range from responding to high-priority national events (using mission analysis to identify the requirement) to task-organizing CST assets to meet the mission requirements.

Q-11. High-priority national events. Selected considerations to be considered when working in support of situations such as national events are—

• Jurisdictional issues.
• C².
• PA.
• OPSEC.
• VIPs.
• Requirement for forward-deployed personnel.

Q-12. Task-organizing CST assets. Selected considerations to be considered when task-organizing CST element operations are—

• Modular nature of CSTs (such as survey section, medical section).
• Support requirements (such as unique resupply and maintenance needs).
• Multiple CSTs operating together.