Reserve CST Leads Multi-National CBRN Demonstration
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Edward Cuevas, the communications team chief for the 773rd Civil Support Team, 7th Mission Support Command, assists soldiers from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR), Salvage and Rescue Unit, with setting up the decontamination tent during a CBRN demonstration, Jun. 9, 2023, at the Port of Agadir, Morocco, part of African Lion. Cuevas integrated with the FAR Mass Casualty decontamination (MCD) team for the duration of the joint operation. “I was proud and honored to work with the MCD,” said Cuevas. “[Decontamination,] is a very important phase in the CBRN event response process as it mitigates cross-contamination between effected casualties and the medical staff and general population.” The 773rd is a technical HAZMAT reaction team, the only one of its kind in the U.S. Army Europe - Africa area of operations. Exercises such as African Lion provide opportunities for this specialized unit to assess, develop, and train alongside Allies and partners, getting the repetitions needed to fight and win together, on the modern-day battlefield. 18 nations and approximately 8,000 personnel will participate in African Lion 2023, U.S. Africa Command's largest annual combined, joint exercise that will take place in multiple countries to include Morocco from May 13 - June 18, 2023.