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News | June 4, 2024

Joint Task Force Civil Support Conducts Annual Homeland Defense and Disaster Response Exercise

Joint Task Force Civil Support

Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS) conducts Vibrant Response 24, an annual command post exercise that trains homeland defense through chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) disaster response from April 22 to April 28, 2024 at Fort Eustis, Va. and Fort Carson, Colo. U.S. Army North, as United States Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command (JFLCC), will test the capability of federal forces to respond to national-level CBRN emergencies through realistic and rigorous training.
Vibrant Response 24 will test Joint Task Force-Civil Support ability to respond to a simulated CBRN incident.
JTF-CS comprised of Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Department of Defense civil service employees, contractors and Soldiers from the Active, Guard and Reserve components, and JTF-CS is headquartered in Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
JTF-CS provides command and control to DoD personnel who deploy in support of civilian responders to manage CBRN incidents.
Vibrant Response 24 includes participants from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whom the task forces support during real-world operations. JTF-CS aims to put the right lifesaving and life sustaining capabilities on the ground at the right time in support of civilian first responders. Vibrant Response 24 will train approximately 1,200 participants.
JTF-CS is the nations’ only standing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear and all hazards joint task force, and acts as the command element for the Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Response Force. The specialized response forces are designed to put the right lifesaving and life-sustaining capabilities on the ground at the right time as part of the Department of Defense mission to support local and state authorities during a disaster response. These specialized response forces support civilian first responders when federal assistance is requested by a state and approved by the Secretary of Defense. Federal military forces are employed in the United States in strict compliance with U.S. laws and the Constitution.
The DCRF is a 5,200-member joint service, multi-component force intended to provide a rapid, robust, initial response capability to support civilian agencies to save lives, relieve human suffering and prevent great property damage following a catastrophic incident. 
The DCRF brings a range of capabilities such as medical response, decontamination, technical rescue, patient evacuation, communication and logistics support, such as moving people, equipment and supplies by land and air.