CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF INAUGURATES THE 24TH STAFF PLANNING WORKSHOP OF EXERCISE TEMPEST EXPRESS
The 24th Staff Planning Workshop of the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) \"Exercise Tempest Express\" conducted by the US \r\n\r\nPacific Command in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence & Urban Development (MOD & UD) was inaugurated by the Chief of Defence Staff \r\n\r\nGeneral Jagath Jayasuriya on 1 April 2014 at Galadari Hotel Colombo.\r\n\r\nThis nine day workshop will be conducted on the theme Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive or Toxic Industrial Material \r\n\r\n(CBRNE - TIM) and will focus on developing the CBRNE aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction while improving multinational speed of response in \r\n\r\na crisis, mission effectiveness, interoperability and unity of effort. It will draw participants from across the Asia Pacific Region and \r\n\r\nsubject matter experts from across the world.\r\n\r\nGeneral Jayasuriya in his opening remarks drew attention to the CBRNE dimension to National and Global Security and reiterated on the need \r\n\r\nfor international discussion and cooperation to address the CBRNE threat. The full text of his opening remarks is given below.\r\n\r\n\"Today 's world faces challenges and threats of unprecedented scope, scale and complexity. In recent decades, the world has seen many \r\n\r\nchanging trends in national and global security brought about by the entry of non-state actors into world politics. Chemical, biological, \r\n\r\nradiological, nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) weapons are a threat to the health and well-being of the international community. Given the \r\n\r\nreal threat of a large-scale CBRNE attack, defense against these weapons is both an international security and public health issue. In \r\n\r\nrecent years, the goals and actions of terrorists have changed in a way that makes the use of CBRNE weapons more within the realm of \r\n\r\npossibility, while technological advances have made the possibility of a CBRNE attack more feasible than in decades and centuries past.\r\n\r\nThe use of CBRNE weapons poses a potential threat to the international community. Although CBRNE weapons used thus far by state and non \r\n\r\nstate actors have fallen short of causing mass destruction, they have had considerable effect on the societies against which they were \r\n\r\nused. This underscores one of the main motivations behind the use of CBRNE weapons, which is the psychological impact they make on the \r\n\r\npopulations they target which in turn translates into a force multiplier.\r\n\r\nEliminating the threat of CBRNE attacks will be challenging. International discussion and cooperation will be key towards addressing the \r\n\r\nissue of CBRNE attacks. \r\nThe office of the Chief of Defence Staff is pleased to partner the US Pacific Command (USPACOM) in hosting the 24th Staff Planning Workshop \r\n\r\nof Exercise Tempest Express in Colombo on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development of Sri Lanka. This workshop will bring \r\n\r\ntogether 90 participants from across the Asia Pacific region along with subject matter experts from across the world. \r\nIt will provide a platform for strategic, operational and tactical-level planning to meet Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, \r\n\r\nExplosive or Toxic Industrial Material (CBRNE-TIM) related contingencies in support of both the Sri Lankan Government and US Pacific \r\n\r\nCommand Theatre Security Objectives. It will entail the development of CBRNE plans and further the main objectives of the Multi National \r\n\r\nPlanning Augmentation Team which are to improve multinational speed of response in a crisis, improve mission effectiveness, increase \r\n\r\ninteroperability and increase unity of effort. \r\nI take this opportunity to welcome the team from the US Pacific Command and all the participants and subject matter experts to the 24th \r\n\r\nStaff Planning Workshop of Exercise Tempest Express in Colombo. I wish all of you a professionally enriching engagement and a pleasant stay \r\n\r\nin Sri Lanka. \r\nFinally I wish to congratulate the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and his team for the key role played as the lead force in making the \r\n\r\n24th Staff Planning Workshop of Exercise Tempest Express in Colombo a reality.\"
