Team Players

The Defense Department has established 10 National Guard civil support teams to assist state and local authorities during incidents involving chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological weapons. The 22-member teams are equipped and trained to assess the cause and nature of an incident and coordinate the response from state and federal authorities. Earlier this year, DoD officials expected all 10 teams to be certified as operational by June. They are located in the following states, with each team responsible for one of 10 regions defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

1. California
2. Missouri
3. Colorado
4. New York
5. Georgia
6. Pennsylvania
7. Illinois
8. Texas
9. Massachusetts
10. Washington

In January, Defense Secretary William Cohen announced the formation of 17 new teams, modeled after the first 10. The new teams will be located in the following states:

1. Alaska
2. Louisiana
3. Arizona
4. Maine
5. Arkansas
6. Minnesota
7. California
8. New Mexico
9. Florida
10. Ohio
11. Hawaii
12. Oklahoma
13. Idaho
14. South Carolina
15. Iowa
16. Virginia
17. Kentucky