International CBR exercise TOXIC VALLEY 2015

After one year, SICA (Sampling and Identification of Chemical Agents) teams from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, France and Slovakia meet again in the CBRN Training and Testing Centre Zemianske Kostoľany at the international exercise TOXIC VALLEY 2015. “CBR troops are crucial for our armed forces. In Slovakia, we have the top training centre in Zemianske Kostoľany, which facility I promote and offer on a regular basis to our partners from abroad,” said Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. The main aim of the exercise is at collection and analysis of samples from contaminated areas and at rehearsal of cooperation and interoperability in the international and domestic crisis management operations. By 9 October, the exercise will put to the test the skills and knowledge of the teams, particularly related to the sampling procedures, mainly in respect of toxic agents and preliminary chemical analysis thereof, in accordance with the North Atlantic Alliance standards. The CBR teams from different countries will have a unique opportunity to compare their respective procedures, which is vital to reach and maintain a high degree of expertise and proficiency in the field of chemical, biological and radiological defence capabilities. The exercise, in which experts from the Slovak National Crime Agency participate along with the soldiers, is based on the real life scenarios, and reflects real threats the personnel is faced with when performing tasks in a deployment area.