Training
The Special Programs Division (SPD) is a unique blend of technical personnel that includes PhD-level physical scientists, chemists, engineers, and microbiologists, in addition to former civilian and military Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives operators. SPD specializes in the planning, execution, and analysis CBRNE warfare defense systems and processes in an asymmetric environment.
A leader in preparing personnel for both domestic and overseas contingency CBRNE operations, Dugway Proving Ground facilitates the development and refinement of Department of Defense, Department of justice, federal, and state agencies CBRNE tactics, techniques and procedures within a CBRNE mission. Dugway’s subject matter expertise, diverse ranges and unique facilities allow for a broad range of chemical/biological/homemade explosive warfare focus areas such as agent characterization, production recognition, detection, sampling, and decontamination. Additionally, Dugway’s vast land mass and adjoining public lands and air space offer a breadth of asymmetric as well as conventional warfare training to including air/ground deployment of a unit; desert warfare and live-fire ranges; land navigation and off-road vehicle mobility; jump zones and close air support ranges; high-angle marksmanship facilities; Improvised Explosive Devise immediate response drills. Dugway Proving Ground is the only single geographical location within the United States capable of conducting such full spectrum mission profiles.
These courses focus on the core areas of signature recognition, detection/identification, sampling, decontamination, properties and hazards of the CBRNE materials of interest. This is achieved through a series of lecture, laboratory, and practical exercises. Courses are customized around unit requirements and designed to inform and challenge their particular mission in a CBRNE environment*. The following are examples of TTP Development courses that have been customized to each customer’s specific mission needs. You are encouraged to work with our program managers to design a course that meets your unit's needs:
- Chemical/Biological - Advanced four-day program including practical exercises on synthesis, threat recognition, dissemination, sampling, team exercises, and training on analytical equipment.
- Dissemination Course - Separate four day courses designed to teach the characteristics of chemical or biological materials disseminated through various methods. Historical Dugway dissemination testing grids are used to conduct series of chemical or biological simulant disseminations and study their behavior.
- Mobile Team training - Designed for conducting field exercises at a unit's home station. Includes lab scenarios, hazardous material training day, chemical/biological overview and survey of equipment, production, collection/sampling, and decontamination.
- Field Training Exercise/Full Mission Profile/Joint Readiness Exercises/Exercise Evaluations - Muliti-day/night scenarios set at various levels of the CBRNE spectrum (non-state to state) intended to challenge and provide feedback regarding the units’ readiness to successfully operate in that environment.
- Facility Familiarization Tour - This weeklong course tours multiple US commercial chemical and biological industrial production sites to demonstrate various scales of operations and technologies.**
*Courses are developed with intent for unit level consumption e.g. courses are not offered on a 'per seat basis'.
**A limited number of these events are offered each year due to access restrictions at the commercial sites.