North America’s leading joint conference, exhibition, and training event – NCT USA – has taken place in Edgewood, MD, from September 3-5 at Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Chemical Demilitarization Training Facility. The event was co-hosted by the CBRNe Society and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC).
NCT USA welcomed the highest decision makers from the national CBRNe Community, providing a networking and knowledge exchange platform for local and federal first responders, as well as industry leaders in the fields of CBRNe, C-IED and EOD. Welcoming over 400 attendees, NCT USA took place over three days and was chaired by BG (Ret.) William King, Former Commander, U.S. Army 20th CBRNE Command, USA.
Day one of NCT USA began with a Facility Tour of the DEVCOM CBC Advanced Design and Manufacturing Center where participants explored the latest innovations in CBRNe technology. During the afternoon, seven companies presented their innovative ideas for a stronger CBRNe defense to key stakeholders during the Dragons Pitch sessions.
Day two began with opening remarks from Ms. Anna Paternnosto, President of the CBRNe Society; Mr. Ilja Bonsen, Managing Director of NCT Consultants; Dr. Eric Moore, Deputy to the Commanding General (DtCG), U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, USA; Mr. Michael Bailey, Director of U.S. Army DEVCOM CBC, USA; BG (Ret.) William King; and Mr. Kelso Horne, Director of the Chemical Materials Activity, USA.
“This is our 4th year of co-hosting – I’m not sure there’s another event that brings together a community like this,” said DEVCOM CBC Director Michael Bailey as he addressed the audience during his opening remarks.
“There are key elements of the CBRNe enterprise here with us today, so talk to them. They’re the ones that will be able to answer the question of, ‘is this capability able to turn into a real-life thing?’ This event is a way to make those technologies come to life.”
The opening plenary was followed by the Tech Tour in which participating companies each had five minutes to present their latest innovations to delegates, before conference sessions on “Innovations in CBRN Emergency Response and Crisis Management” and “Chem/Bio Threats and Medical Countermeasures for CBRN Agents”.
Among a list of distinguished speakers on day two were:
- Dr Kyle Glover, Division Chief, Threat Agent Science – DEVCOM CBC
- Dr. Robert L. von Tersch, Chief Science Officer, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), USA
- COL Paul Kassebaum, Commander – U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD)
Also taking place on day two were PRO Trainings in which teams got hands-on with the latest industry technologies.
Day three consisted of three more conference sessions on “Intersection of CBRN Threats and Artificial Intelligence”, “Emerging Capabilities for Addressing Explosive Threats”, and “Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism Preparedness and Resilience”.
Among a list of distinguished speakers on day three were:
- Dr Kimberly Elenberg, Principal Scientist – Carnegie Mellon University
- Dr Kirk Yeager, Chief Explosives Scientist – FBI
- Dr Mary Sproull, Research Scientist – National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute
Addressing constantly emerging and evolving threats, fostering cooperation and collaboration, and providing a platform for the latest innovative solutions, NCT USA 2023 aimed to shape the future of CBRNe defense in the USA and beyond, ensuring a safer and more secure world for all. NCT USA returns on September 2-4, 2024, in Edgewood (MD), USA.
NCT Consultants
The NCT events and trainings are organized by NCT Consultants, a defense and security company with 12 years of international experience, based in Leiden, The Netherlands. The company contributes to warfighters’ and first responders’ missions and capabilities to counter the threats of weapons of mass destruction and mitigate their effects. NCT Consultants connects businesses, governments, and NGOs by providing knowledge and networking, training, and assisting in building global partner capacities and partnerships.
The flagship activities of NCT Consultants are the NCT annual events in Europe, the USA, South America, the Asia Pacific region, and the Middle East. Built on strong cooperation with government partners, the regional NCT events are the leading CBRNE, C-IED, EOD, and demining event series in the world with around 250-400 participants per edition.
NCT Consultants is present in three continents with companies based in The Netherlands, USA and Singapore.
