DTRA News

May 22, 2023

DTRA repatriates usable radioactive materials in Guatemala, marking their first engagement in the U.S. Southern Command

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) global reach recently played an integral role in the successful repatriation of two Cobalt-60 radioactive sources. In close partnership with Guatemala’s Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE-NNSA), DTRA facilitated logistical efforts for the safe removal of the sources from the Liga Nacional Contra el Cáncer/Instituto de Cancerología (LIGA/INCAN) in Guatemala City, Guatemala in April 2023.

May 18, 2023

DTRA Director Attends ChemTech Center Inauguration

THE HAUGE, Netherlands — The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Director, Rebecca Hersman, recently attended the inauguration of the new Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hauge, Netherlands on May 12.

May 8, 2023

DTRA to the U.S. Joint Forces…We have the Technology!

Camp Dawson WV — As the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threat continues to evolve at an unprecedented rate, so does the need to continually shape the U.S. Joint Force’s counter-threat capabilities. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in its role as the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) for the Chemical and Biological Defense Program meets this challenge by sponsoring the Chemical Biological Operational Analysis (CBOA) field experiment. This large-scale user assessment provides an opportunity for government organizations, Industry, and Academia technology developers to hand off their science and Technology (S&T) prototypes to U.S. Joint Forces members to use while conducting real-world CBRN-contested training scenarios at Camp Dawson, West Virginia, beginning on May 8.

April 27, 2023

DoD Leaders Observe 'Nearly Invisible' CWMD Training Mission

A highly specialized team from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) trained Special Operations Forces during a countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) scenario with an almost-impossible task: to operate completely in the open in a busy civilian setting – while being completely unnoticed by everyone around them.

April 5, 2023

DTRA Members and JAF Participate in Exercise Jordan Shield 2023

Members of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Colorado National Guard (CONG), and in partnership with the Jordanian government, Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), and the National Center for Security and Crises Management (NCSCM) participated in Field Training Exercise 2023 or Jordan Shield, in various regions around the country to demonstrate Jordan’s capabilities detect and respond to a range of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats.

April 4, 2023

U.S. Government and Jordan Armed Forces Jointly Participate in Jordan Shield Exercise 2023

Members of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Colorado National Guard (CONG), and in partnership with the Jordanian government, Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), and the National Center for Security and Crisis Management (NCSCM) participated in Field Training Exercise 2023 or Jordan Shield, in various regions around the country to demonstrate Jordan’s capabilities to respond and react to a range of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats.

Feb. 28, 2023

DTRA brings Focus-Series Technology Demonstration to the EUCOM Theatre

Countering emerging threats that span the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) spectrum requires a specialized network of subject matter experts, technology developers, key decision-makers, and most importantly Joint Force members. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) fulfills all of these requirements through, Focus Falcon, a series of technology demonstrations that provide U.S. Combatant Commands (COCOM) with a platform to experience the latest, on-the-horizon technology to counter the WMD threat. Focus Falcon 2023, the first of this series, was conducted in Kaiserslautern, Germany in support of U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command Forces (USAFRICOM).

Jan. 23, 2023

DTRA and Penn State IIRM-URA to host Sea Air and Land Challenge in spring 2023

Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) will kick off its annual Sea Air and Land (SeAL) challenge in early spring 2023. This event challenges middle and high school-aged student team’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills to design, build and compete devices capable of navigating various environments. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) sponsors this event and lends subject matter expertise to ensure the event provides enough realism to replicate national security interests such as potential threats confronted by the U.S. Joint Forces and First Responders when executing counter weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) efforts.

Dec. 15, 2022

DTRA and Thailand Conduct “Official Handover Ceremony” Highlighting U.S.-Thai Partnership at the Completion of a Counter-WMD Equipment and Training Initiative

On 9 December 2022, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Kingdom of Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) conducted the “Official Handover Ceremony of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Detection Training and Equipment.” The equipment and training DTRA provided enables Thai first responders to safely enter a contaminated environment to detect, identify, sample, and monitor CBRN material using appropriate Personal Protection Equipment and detectors.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa Dec. 15, 2022

DTRA Celebrates with South African Partners Opening of New Training Center for Disease Detection and Biosafety

Members of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) recently participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating completion of a construction project of the Regional Diagnostic Demonstration Center (RDDC) or “Training Center” at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg, Dec. 9.