By Alfonso Sapp
Program Analyst at USCENTCOM Alfonso Sapp outlines and discusses interoperability between the U.S. and partner nations in the Middle East in countering weapons of mass destruction.
Webster’s defines interoperability as the ability of a system, such as a weapons system, to work with or use the parts or equipment of another system. In U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), the unified combatant command for the U.S. Department of Defense that has the Middle East, Egypt, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia within its area of responsibility, interoperability with allies and partners is a key objective.
Interoperability is viewed through bilateral or multilateral staffs and units cooperating effectively to accomplish a specific mission capitalizing on the best that each country has to offer to the process. It is also viewed through a regional lens in our regional security constructs for integrated air missile defense, counter-unmanned aerial systems, special operations forces, and maritime security.
In the world of countering weapons of mass destruction (CWMD), CBRN defense staffs and units collaborate coherently, effectively, and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational, and strategic objectives. They utilize similar processes and, in some cases, hardware and software to advise commanders on how to prevent, protect, respond, and mitigate CBRN threats. For CBRN defense units, this means cooperatively predicting hazards and executing reconnaissance and decontamination missions with partners.

The Eager Lion exercise series is a biennial, multinational military exercise that takes place in Jordan and focuses on enhancing interoperability between nations. The exercise covers a wide range of military scenarios including conventional warfare, counterterrorism, and crisis response. The USCENTCOM J5-CWMD Division is responsible for integrating CBRN scenarios into Eager Lion. This allows the J5-CWMD Division to assess, build upon, and confirm partners’ prior capacity building training activities and assess U.S. CBRN defense equipment provided to the partner through donation or foreign military sales.
As interoperability is a key component of the Eager Lion exercise, the J5-CWMD planners develop scenarios to fully integrate CBRN defense staff and units in several ways.
Coordination between forces: Numerous countries work together to tackle simulated CBRN threats. Interoperability in this context ensures that different nations’ armed forces can coordinate tactics, techniques, procedures, equipment compatibility, and communication to handle these threats.
Joint operations and responses: Participating countries’ military units include special forces, maritime, and CBRNE specialists who collaborate on neutralizing and managing hazardous situations such as the detection, identification, and disposal of chemical and biological agents.
Training in real-world scenarios: The scenarios often replicate realistic challenges, including dealing with mass casualties, decontamination procedures, and public safety, thus improving readiness for actual CBRNE incidents.
Multinational participation: Countries from the Middle East, Europe, and beyond typically take part alongside the U.S., thereby promoting global military cooperation, interoperability, and alignment on hazardous materials response strategies.

During Eager Lion 24, USCENTCOM, Army Central Command, and 20th CBRNE Command strengthened their commitment to regional and partner relationships while continuing to expand U.S. and partner nation efforts. Eager Lion partner nation participants within the CBRN defense mission space included the Jordanian Armed Forces, Royal Saudi Land Forces, and the Kosovo Armed Forces. Over 100 people including U.S. personnel participated in the CBRNE element of the exercise.
Joint CBRND operations were conducted concurrently in three locations across Jordan with the U.S. element leading the execution. This technique should be considered as a best practice to establish roles, responsibilities, and to create synergy between all nations. Task Force Spartan’s 44th Area Support Chemical Company deployed personnel and equipment from Camp Buehring, Kuwait, to support the exercise. The participants conducted a three-phased approach to execute mounted and dismounted reconnaissance and decontamination operations with partner nations.
The unit used three troop carriers for a total of nine lightweight medium tactical vehicles. They also employed two dismounted reconnaissance sets, kits, and outfits delivered via the Trans Arabian Network. The Trans Arabian Network is a strategic network of logistics, infrastructure, and transportation capabilities across the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding regions that supports the U.S. military’s operations, partnerships, and sustainment activities in USCENTCOM’s area of responsibility.
The 20th CBRNE Command deployed a CBRNE Analytical Remediation Activity – Mobile Expeditionary Laboratory from Aberdeen Proving Ground and supported the Jordanian Armed Forces’ detection, identification, and characterization of chemical and biological warfare agents. It conducted joint CBRNE laboratory operations and academic training to enhance partner nation cooperation, supporting intelligence, investigation, mission planning, and consequence management activities in WMD elimination.
The Forensic Exploitation Laboratory also deployed from Aberdeen Proving Ground advised and assisted with sensitive site exploitation, live chemistry demonstrations, briefings, and familiarization, which included latent prints, DNA, firearms, and tool marks. The Forensic Exploitation Laboratory offered advanced, unique, and new training capabilities for all partner nation military personnel.
Meanwhile, 62nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal deployed two teams from Camp Buerhing to support the exercise. They trained, advised, and assisted the partner nation EOD units in kinetic and non-kinetic scenarios to detect, render safe, and dispose of explosive hazards.
Additionally, they trained Jordanian EOD teams on a multitude of operations including unmanned aerial systems procedures, military munition reconnaissance, and counter-improvised explosive device techniques. The Jordanian units were embedded in maneuver units while the U.S. EOD personnel observed the scenarios and provided feedback to the Jordanians during the drills and in the after action review.

CBRN Defense Key Task and Scenarios
Participants during Eager Lion 24 trained the key elements of CBRN defense in a range of scenarios. These included:
Decontamination: a thorough decontamination of land forces personnel and vehicles using situational training exercise lanes. This event was a joint activity using decontamination capabilities of the Jordanian Armed Forces, Royal Saudi land Forces, and U.S. Army.
Terrain and vessel decontamination: participants responded to a large-scale accidental release of thionyl chloride while being loaded aboard a ship. The Jordanian Armed Forces’ contingency support unit and 44th Area Support Chemical Company executed this event.
CBRN dismounted reconnaissance: The Jordanian Armed Forces’ contingency support unit and 44th Area Support Chemical Company responded in support of maritime forces conducting a visit, board, search, and seizure operation that resulted in CBRN reconnaissance units discovering mustard gas precursors and explosive making materials on-board the vessel.
Sensitive site assessment and exploitation: participants responded to a downed unmanned aerial system with a radiological dispersal device. The Jordanian Armed Forces’ counter-nuclear smuggling team responded along with their EOD assets. During the exploitation, the system revealed the location data for a clandestine biological lab containing Yersinia Pestis at Zarqa.
During Eager Lion 24, the joint CBRN response force designed an interoperable framework that fused all nations’ capabilities into one unit. All partners demonstrated their willingness to improve interoperability and mitigate CBRNE threats and hazards.
In conclusion, USCENTCOM continuously provides opportunities to improve CWMD and CBRN defense interoperability for regional allies and partners through the exercise program and other training and equipment efforts. Both CBRN defense staffs and assigned forces being interoperable enables them to work together coherently, effectively, and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational, and strategic objectives. This is particularly important when multiple ministries and other nations’ assets are responding to an incident and especially at a time when the friction of operations will be at its highest.

First Sergeant (United States Army, Retired) Alfonso Sapp, a native of Brooklyn, New York, assumed duties as a Program Analyst in September 2014. His areas of emphasis are CBRN Passive Defense within the Cooperative Defense Program for activities in Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Yemen and United Arab Emirates. In addition, he provides exercise support in Global Combatant Command exercises such as Regional Cooperation, Eager Lion, Eagle Resolve, and Invincible Sentry.