Maryland Civil Support Team Conducts Pharmaceutical Exercise in Florida

A team of nearly 20 Soldiers and Airmen from the Maryland National Guard’s 32nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) participated in a pharmaceutical-based agent training exercise at the National Strategic Research Institute, Space Coast Office, in Florida from February 16-22, 2025. The exercise aimed to enhance the team’s ability to respond to potential chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents outside of Maryland.

As part of the exercise, the team transported select CST vehicles from Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, to Florida, simulating a real-world response request by civil authorities. The training included two days of classroom instruction on the production, synthesis, and detection of pharmacological agents, followed by hands-on lab exercises. The final day involved assessing the scale of potential threats by analyzing the production capabilities of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, carfentanil, and remifentanil.

The Maryland National Guard highlighted the significance of the training, noting that it provided an opportunity to work in a larger-scale production facility rather than smaller clandestine labs. The complexity of pharmaceutical-based agent threats, particularly their detection challenges with conventional equipment, was a key focus of the exercise.

Following the completion of the training, the team and six fleet vehicles were airlifted back to Martinsburg, West Virginia, by two C-17 Globemaster II aircraft from the West Virginia National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing. This marked a unique milestone as it combined a long-distance convoy, pharmaceutical-based agent training, and a large-scale airlift operation in a single mission. The exercise, planned over two years, aimed to enhance readiness by integrating multiple logistical elements, including convoy operations, joint-unit airlift, and cross-branch collaboration.

The 167th Airlift Wing provided 21 Airmen to support the mission, including pilots, loadmasters, joint inspectors, and public affairs personnel. The event was part of the National Guard Bureau’s requirement for civil support teams to conduct eight full-scale exercises annually. Future exercises may focus on airlifting all organic equipment and vehicles to further test the team’s rapid deployment capabilities.

The exercise concluded with a ground convoy from Martinsburg, West Virginia, back to Fort Meade, Maryland. Despite logistical challenges and last-minute adjustments, the team successfully completed the mission, reinforcing its ability to adapt and respond to dynamic operational requirements.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the 175th Wing, Maryland Air National Guard.

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