First time, India-US exercise includes response to nuke & bio terror attacks

Last Updated13/02/2023

With chemical and biological warfare being recognised as a looming threat to the world, an ongoing Indo-US joint exercise has for the first time included “Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terror response” in its drill.

Named TARKASH, the exercise by the National Security Guard (NSG) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF) is currently underway in Chennai.
This is the sixth edition of the exercise which began on January 16 and will end on February 14.
The exercise comes in the backdrop of Russian allegations against Ukraine in May last year that Kyiv had orchestrated a chemical attack in Kharkiv to blame Russia and get military aid from the West.
Sources said among the various counter-terror drills carried out during the Chennai exercise, a drill to counter chemical and biological attacks by terrorists was also included.

The training provided an opportunity for both the forces to gain proficiency and enhance skill sets for an effective CBRN terror response.
Subject matter experts in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear warfare from the US Special Forces and the NSG exchanged valuable knowledge in handling CBRN threat in an urban counter-terrorism environment”.
During the course of joint exercise, both forces also conducted joint mock counter-terrorism drills at multiple locations in Chennai to enhance interoperability and coordination between the two special forces.

CBRN weapons, which are also classified as weapons of mass destruction, have been used by States and terror elements in the past.
The most recent use of CBRN in the form of a sarin gas attack was witnessed in Syria in 2017 when more than 100 people died.