Introduction

Explosive ordnance disposal technicians with the 192nd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), 52nd Ordnance Group (EOD), prepare for exfiltration after identifying and mitigating an explosive hazard in support of an assault force operation during an EOD capabilities exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 6, 2026. The goal of EOD forces is to neutralize all explosive hazards, which enable the assault force to safely execute their mission.

(U.S. Army photo by Pfc. James Hernandez)

In large-scale combat operations (LSCO) against a peer threat, chemical employment should be treated as an expected condition rather than a low-probability event. At the brigade level, the challenge is rarely capability—most brigade combat teams (BCTs) have access to a hazard response (HR) company. The challenge is posture. Too often, the HR company is either left consolidated in the rear by default or pushed forward without a deliberate connection to the threat assessment. In both cases, the brigade sacrifices flexibility.

During the military decision-making process (MDMP), brigade staffs must answer a simple but decisive question: what problem am I trying to solve with my chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) company? If the enemy is likely to employ persistent agents for area denial, that assessment drives one form of task organization. If the threat involves nonpersistent agents used primarily for suppression and disruption, it drives another. This article provides a framework for task-organizing the HR company based on persistent versus nonpersistent chemical threats, directly linked to intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB), protection cell integration, and clearly defined command and control.

Basis for Brigade Task Organization

The integrated CBRN mounted reconnaissance capability was demonstrated at the Joint Warfighter Assessment 2019 on a manned Stryker NBCRV and an unmanned ground system called the Squad Maneuver Equipment Transport.

(U.S. Army photo.)

FM 3-11 establishes that HR companies aligned to a BCT provide reconnaissance, surveillance, operational decontamination, and thorough decontamination. Equipped with nuclear, biological, and chemical reconnaissance vehicles (NBCRVs); dismounted reconnaissance sets, kits, and outfits (DRSKOs); and multiple M26 systems, the HR company is the brigade’s primary means of regenerating contaminated combat power. Maneuver battalions, with only limited organic decontamination capability, cannot independently restore large formations after contamination without augmentation.

The starting point is that the HR company is a brigade asset. Platoons must be task-organized deliberately based on the assessed threat and the scheme of maneuver—not habit. This requires active integration between the protection cell and the intelligence section. CBRN considerations must be embedded in IPB, including likely enemy chemical delivery methods, templated CBRN named areas of interest (NAIs), and anticipated target sets. These assessments must translate into priority intelligence requirements (PIR) and commander’s critical information requirements (CCIR) tied to chemical employment and the decision points that drive repositioning of HR elements.

Equally important is clarity during execution. During planning, the brigade must define command-and-support relationships for the HR company and its platoons, establish reporting flows for CBRN reconnaissance, clarify who has authority to establish decontamination sites, and identify triggers for activating thorough decontamination. Without these discussions during MDMP, the brigade will default to reactive employment after the first strike.

Persistent Threat Considerations

26th Field Artillery Regt., 41st Fires Bde, from Fresno, Calif., remove contaminates from a HMMWV using a M26 generator and high powered hoses during CBRN training at the 41st Fires Bde. motor pool, Oct. 26-27. Wolfpack soldiers had to wear full Mission Oriented Protective Posture four and learn how to properly use the equipment in their hands on class given by soldiers from the 181st Chemical Company.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dalinda Salazar, 41st Fires Brigade, PAO)

If the assessed threat involves persistent agents used for area denial, the enemy’s objective is long-term contamination of terrain, main supply routes (MSRs), and sustainment nodes. The intent is to degrade tempo and force the brigade to displace or halt operations. Under these conditions, the HR company should generally remain consolidated under brigade control. Positioning it near the brigade support area (BSA) or division support area (DSA) ensures access to water, replacement joint service lightweight integrated suit technology (JSLIST) ensembles, and the sustainment required to conduct large-scale decontamination. Habitually attaching HR platoons forward in this environment risks early attrition of the brigade’s primary regeneration capability.

Mounted reconnaissance assets such as NBCRVs can be aligned with cavalry or maneuver units to characterize hazards without committing decontamination assets forward. Execution under a persistent threat prioritizes regeneration. Brigade planners must identify deliberate thorough decontamination sites outside of artillery range, plan water resupply and throughput capacity, consider how the site aligns with the brigade prioritized protection list, and establish clear priorities for regenerating combat power. Activation of decontamination sites should be tied to preidentified decision points. Consolidating HR platoons preserves throughput and flexibility; piecemealing them forward risks losing the capability the brigade will need most once contamination occurs.

Nonpersistent Threat Considerations

Staff Sgt. Timothy Roberts, 778th Civil Engineering Squadron Emergency Management noncommissioned officer in charge, speaks to Airmen during a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense class at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, April 2, 2026. He taught students the different attack warning signals, which determine what level of mission-oriented protective posture gear they would wear during an attack.

(U.S. Air Force photo by C Arce)

When the enemy is assessed to employ nonpersistent agents for suppression, the operational objective shifts. The enemy seeks temporary disruption and confusion rather than sustained denial, producing effects that are shorter in duration and localized. Under this threat, the brigade’s risk calculus changes.

HR platoons may be placed in direct support of, or attached to, maneuver battalions, while the company headquarters remains under brigade control for synchronization and reporting. Reconnaissance assets should push forward along templated NAIs, primary routes, and breach locations to rapidly confirm or deny chemical use. Execution under a nonpersistent threat prioritizes maintaining tempo. Operational decontamination should occur near unit maintenance collection points (UMCPs) or logistics nodes to return systems to the fight quickly. Decontamination efforts should focus on assets required for immediate operations rather than full formation regeneration.

Forward alignment of HR elements in this scenario enables rapid confirmation of enemy employment and timely adjustment of mission-oriented protective posture (MOPP). Keeping the HR company consolidated in the BSA under a nonpersistent threat risks delayed reporting and unnecessary operational pauses—achieving the very effect the enemy intends.

Influencing the Protection Cell

Deliberate task organization does not occur automatically. When the brigade CBRN officer is not effectively driving integration, the HR company commander and CBRN warrant officer must shape the discussion. This requires proactively contributing to IPB, recommending NAIs and PIR linked to chemical employment, proposing command relationships, and identifying decision points tied to persistent versus nonpersistent assessments. During rehearsals, CBRN leaders must confirm that reporting flows and authorities are clearly understood. Passive participation in MDMP produces reactive employment; active integration preserves options for the brigade.

Conclusion

Brigade employment of the HR company in LSCO cannot default to ‘adjust after first contact.’ Persistent and nonpersistent threats require distinct task organizations, execution models, and authorities. Under a persistent threat, consolidation preserves regeneration throughput and protects sustainment. Under a nonpersistent threat, forward alignment preserves tempo and enables rapid confirmation of enemy employment.

FM 3-11 provides the doctrinal foundation. What determines effectiveness is whether the brigade deliberately links threat assessment to task organization, reporting, and decision points. Brigades that rehearse this framework at home station and refine it during National Training Center (NTC) rotations build a realistic, threat-based CBRN defense plan. That plan provides the commander options to attack through nonpersistent contamination, rapidly restore combat power after persistent employment, and deny the enemy the intended operational effects of chemical weapons.[1]