WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Maryland and Mississippi National Guard teams have completed Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, or WMD-CST, training.
The U.S. Department of Defense said in a Sept. 21 press release the Maryland and Mississippi National Guard WMD-CST teams have been certified.
The Maryland 32 WMD-CST team is based at Fort Meade and Mississippi National Guard's 47th WMD-CST is based in Jackson.
The two WMD-CST-compliant teams are able to assist civil authorities in responding to a domestic WMD incident and now possess the required skills, training, and equipment for complying with any such event.
With the addition of Maryland and Mississippi National Guard WMD-CST, a total of 10 WMD-CST teams have been certified nationwide out of the 12 teams authorized in the DOD Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004.
The two remaining WMD-CST teams that have yet to be certified have nearly completed their certification process.
Thirty-two WMD-CST teams authorized under legislation in fiscal years 1999, 2000, and 2001 have already been certified, providing a total of 42 certified WMD-CST teams. Congress has authorized 55 WMD-CST teams, sufficient for a team in every state and the District of Columbia.
