WEBVTT 00:00.282 --> 00:02.865 (gentle music) 00:09.450 --> 00:12.870 - We're here to execute a tabletop exercise 00:12.870 --> 00:15.690 with the government of Armenia Interagency. 00:15.690 --> 00:18.180 It's an initiative that I proposed 00:18.180 --> 00:20.850 with our Biological Threat Reduction Program 00:20.850 --> 00:24.720 in an effort to kind of test the capacities 00:24.720 --> 00:25.650 that we have built 00:25.650 --> 00:27.330 with countering weapons of mass destruction 00:27.330 --> 00:30.840 in the biological chemical radiological nuclear realms. 00:30.840 --> 00:32.160 It's important for the Government of Armenia, 00:32.160 --> 00:33.450 'cause it's a first of its kind. 00:33.450 --> 00:35.190 This is the first time they've ever done 00:35.190 --> 00:39.149 an interagency coordinated effort such as this. 00:39.149 --> 00:40.410 (gentle music) 00:40.410 --> 00:44.520 - Exercises like this show how well 00:44.520 --> 00:46.800 or how difficult it is 00:46.800 --> 00:49.860 to collaborate, interagency-wise. 00:49.860 --> 00:54.390 So we have over 15 different Armenian agencies involved 00:54.390 --> 00:56.370 in this exercise, and each one of them 00:56.370 --> 00:58.410 have to represent their organizations 00:58.410 --> 01:02.550 and how they would respond to a type of threat. 01:02.550 --> 01:05.967 (Anna speaking Armenian) 01:22.080 --> 01:25.470 - Armenia is a unique country in the middle 01:25.470 --> 01:28.800 of a geopolitical economic dynamic chess board, 01:28.800 --> 01:32.820 and with the way that WMD threats have been evolving 01:32.820 --> 01:34.920 and transpiring, and then there's, of course, global 01:34.920 --> 01:38.070 and regional trends, we felt it was important to ensure 01:38.070 --> 01:42.270 that our investments in countering WMD with Armenia 01:42.270 --> 01:44.883 still hold true should something happen. 01:45.960 --> 01:48.390 - So at the culmination of this tabletop exercise, 01:48.390 --> 01:52.170 we're going to host collectively, as a joint organization, 01:52.170 --> 01:55.860 a field training exercise that will have several scenarios 01:55.860 --> 01:58.080 that are exercising the physical ways 01:58.080 --> 02:00.720 in which they address a threat. 02:00.720 --> 02:04.470 So there'll be bio, samples, both on the animal side 02:04.470 --> 02:05.700 and the public health side. 02:05.700 --> 02:07.980 There's gonna be some border activities, 02:07.980 --> 02:10.440 things that Biological Threat Reduction Program 02:10.440 --> 02:12.480 and the Proliferation Prevention Program 02:12.480 --> 02:15.000 have assisted in this partnership. 02:15.000 --> 02:17.910 - It's been real, it's been authentic, it's been sincere. 02:17.910 --> 02:20.190 There's been no thinking anything. 02:20.190 --> 02:22.320 Every day, they've come into it prepared, 02:22.320 --> 02:25.590 building on what transpired from the previous day. 02:25.590 --> 02:27.510 - We've had over 100 people in total 02:27.510 --> 02:31.230 from the Armenian sites contribute to this exercise, 02:31.230 --> 02:34.740 so it really does even show how strong this partnership is, 02:34.740 --> 02:36.717 this bilateral partnership. 02:36.717 --> 02:40.134 (Anna speaking Armenian) 03:02.100 --> 03:03.810 - Every once in a while, you get a crazy idea 03:03.810 --> 03:05.550 or a good idea fairy, but sometimes, 03:05.550 --> 03:08.400 those are worth pursuing, and here we are now, 03:08.400 --> 03:11.220 we are developing a new capacity within the government 03:11.220 --> 03:13.140 of Armenia that didn't exist before. 03:13.140 --> 03:15.510 They are now holding interagency forums, 03:15.510 --> 03:17.190 partners such as the EU are approaching 03:17.190 --> 03:19.350 to develop national CVRN strategies 03:19.350 --> 03:21.960 and through practices and techniques that we've taught 03:21.960 --> 03:25.620 through bringing planning groups together from our exercise 03:25.620 --> 03:29.490 have lent them to establish kind of a model going forward 03:29.490 --> 03:32.490 to work with other partners, so it can only help Armenia. 03:32.490 --> 03:36.570 So it's been great to see Armenia utilizing tools 03:36.570 --> 03:39.230 and techniques to further help themselves. 03:39.230 --> 03:41.813 (gentle music)