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US and Australian military personnel have collaborated on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence capabilities during Exercise Toxic Swell 25 in Hawaii.
Marines assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 174, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing joined forces with the Air Force, Air Force Reserves, Air National Guard and Royal Australian Air Force for the two-week training event on the island of Oahu.
Participants engaged in multiple field rehearsals, including runway survey missions, simulated infantry drills, aircraft decontamination and CBRN detection scenarios.
Marines, airmen, National Guardsmen and RAAF partners conducted military operations on urbanised terrain, simulating the challenging conditions personnel might face in actual deployments.
“Exercises like Toxic Swell test our response to worst-case scenario CBRN threats that our enemies may use,” said Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Webb, who served as officer in charge of the exercise.
“The training we conducted blended basic Marine (Corps) warfighting tactics with the knowledge of the Air Force and RAAF, teaching each other how we can best move as a team to the objective and use our CBRN training effectively.”
The RAAF conducted an in-depth session to educate participants on their mission-oriented protective posture gear removal process.
The demonstration provided valuable insight into how US partner nations combat CBRN situations, enhancing the knowledge of US service members who may operate together in future joint missions.
In addition to the RAAF training, participants completed the performance evaluation checklist for weapons handling and proficiency on the M16A4 rifle and M240B machine gun, as well as the gas chamber, where they practiced donning and clearing their protective masks in a controlled environment.
The training is designed to reinforce the importance of proper CBRN procedures and ensured the participants received standardised Marine Corps training, enabling a diverse team to merge seamlessly.
“Having been part of Toxic Swell 24, we came to observe and provide training feedback to our units,” said Flight Sgt. Noel Klaehn, assigned to No. 295 Squadron, RAAF Combat Support Group.
“Most of our operations are likely to be with allied forces, so exercises like this are critical. We hope to bring more of our team to participate next year.”
By the conclusion of Toxic Swell 25, all training objectives were successfully executed, fusing CBRN response with traditional infantry tactics and command coordination. Through realistic training, the participants became a cohesive, capable force ready to respond to any CBRN threat.
