Camp Hovey, South Korea. (July 7, 2023): The masks, protective gear, and heavy chemical boots are how the U.S. Army dresses for success in a chemical, biological, or nuclear environment. For the past nine months, soldiers from the 181st CBRN Company, nicknamed the “Double Dragons”, trained alongside their South Korean counterparts, the 23rd CBRN Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, in a series of realistic exercises.

The highlight of the deployment was Exercise Goldmine, a counter Weapons of Mass Destruction exercise with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment and Republic of Korea Air Force and Explosive Ordnance Disposal units. Operating near the world’s most heavily guarded border, the exercise tested the response of American and Korean nuclear specialists in the event of an atomic detonation and the resulting fall-out. Soldiers practiced operating in a nuclear environment while still carrying out their military missions. The soldiers of the 81st also got a chance to get to know their Korean comrades who they would serve in the event of war.

American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from nineteen bases in sixteen states to take on the world’s most dangerous chemical, biological, or nuclear incidents. The 181st CBRN Company is based at Fort Cavazos, Texas.