Chemical Biological Incident Response Force

CBRE Response unit in the United States Marine Corps

Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF)
CBIRF insignia
Active	April 1, 1996 – present
Country	United States
Branch	USMC
Role	CBRNE defense
Size	~ 600 Marines, Sailors and Civilian Contractors
Part of	United States Marine Corps Forces Command
Garrison/HQ	Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center
Nickname(s)	The 'Birf, Birfsoc
Motto(s)	Latin: Certo Occultus Hostis To Fight Hidden Threats
Colors	Black, Red, Gold
Commanders
Commanding Officer	Colonel Zeb B. Beasley
Sergeant Major	SgtMaj Paul A. Forde

Military unit

The Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) is a Marine Corps unit responsible for countering the effects of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) incident, support counter CBRN terrorism, and urban search and rescue when CBRN incident. They were activated in April 1996 by General Charles C. Krulak, then Commandant of the Marine Corps. The unit is based at Naval Support Facility Indian Head in Indian Head, Maryland and falls under the command of the United States Marine Corps Forces Command.

Mission

When directed, a CBIRF unit will forward-deploy and/or respond to a credible threat of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) incident in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and Unified Combat Commanders in the conduct of consequence management operations.

CBIRF accomplishes this mission by providing capabilities for CBRN agent detection and identification, casualty search and extraction, technical rescue, personnel decontamination, and tactical emergency medical care and stabilization of contaminated victims. All CBIRF Marines and sailors are trained to perform both casualty extraction and decontamination. The lifesaving competencies required of personnel serving at CBIRF are taught during CBIRF Basic Operations Course (CBOC). By completing CBOC, all Marines and Sailors are able to support CBIRF's mission, and bolster the current response force.

History

Since its inception CBIRF has trained many local agencies. It has also had a presence at the following:

1996 Summer Olympic Games
1997 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
1997 Denver Summit of the Eight
1997-2020 Presidential State of the Union Addresses
1999 Pope Visit to St Louis, MO
1999 NATO Summit
2001 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
2001 Cleaned Anthrax out of the Longworth House Office Bldg in Washington, DC
2001 Cleaned Anthrax out of the Hart Senate Bldg in Washington DC
2004 Ricin Incident Attack on Dirksen Senate Building
2004 Dedication of World War II Memorial
2004 Lying In State of President Ronald W. Reagan
2005 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN
2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
2011 Operation Tomodachi
2012 NATO Summit
2013 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
2016 State of the Union Address
2016 Republican and Democratic National Conventions
2017 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
2018 State of the Union Address
2019 State of the Union Address
2020 State of the Union Address
2020 Republican and Democratic National Conventions
2021 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
2021 Presidential Address to Congress

Awards

Ribbon	Award
	Meritorious Unit Commendation streamer with 2 bronze stars
	National Defense Service streamer with 1 bronze star
	Global War on Terrorism Service streamer

References

"Chemical Biological Incident Response Force: U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command".

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

External links

CBIRF's official website

United States biological defense program

Organizations

Federal
administrative

DHS	DHS Chemical and Biological Defense Division DHS Office of Health Affairs (National Biosurvelliance Integration Center, BioWatch) National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility National Bioforensic Analysis Center
DNI	National Counterproliferation Center (Advisory Committee on Bioterrorism)
DHHS	Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Division of Select Agents and Toxins (CDC) National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity
DoD	Assistant SECDEF for NCB Defense Programs Defense Threat Reduction Agency Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System Joint Program Executive Office of Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) National Center for Medical Intelligence

Federal
research

Trans- departmental	National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (National Interagency Biodefense Campus, Fort Detrick) Integrated National Biodefense Medical Countermeasures Portfolio (DHHS/DoD)
Military	U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Edgewood Chemical Biological Center Dugway Proving Ground
Civilian	Galveston National Laboratory (UTMB/NIAID) Integrated Research Facility (HHS/NIAID) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (HHS) Homeland Security Research Program (EPA/DHS) Plum Island Animal Disease Center (USDA) Foreign Disease Weed Science Research Unit (USDA)

Response

Local	Local Health Departments
State	State Health Departments Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit
Federal	National Medical Response Team/National Pharmacy Response Team (NDMS, HHS) Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (USMC) Epidemic Intelligence Service (CDC) Aeromedical Biological Containment System (CDC) Bioterror Rapid Response and Advanced Technology Laboratory (CDC)

Non-
governmental

Academic centers
and think tanks

Government
contractors

Programs
and projects

Threat reduction	Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, implemented the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Biological Threat Reduction (DoD) plus Project Bacchus Project Clear Vision Project Jefferson
Biosurveillance	National Biosurveillance Strategy Laboratory Response Network (CDC) BioWatch (EPA, CDC) Global Bio-Surveillance Technology Initiative (GBTI), Bio-Surveillance Management Office (BMO) (part of JPEO-CBD) ESSENCE (DoD) RODS (Civilian)
Biosecurity/Biosurety	Select Agent Program (CDC) Personnel Reliability Program (DoD)
Medical intelligence	National Intelligence Assessments on Infectious Diseases
Disaster response	National Response Framework of the National Strategy for Homeland Security (DHS; including NIMS and ICS) National Disaster Medical System (DHHS) Strategic National Stockpile (CDC, DHS)

Technology
and equipment

Protection	MOPP NBC suit Respirators
Detection	Cell CANARY Biological Materials MASINT Autonomous Pathogen Detection System Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS)
Biocontainment	Biosafety level Biosafety cabinet Positive pressure personnel suit

Law

Treaties

Geneva Protocol (1925, 1975)
Statement on Chemical and Biological Defense Policies and Programs (1969)
Biological Weapons Convention (1972)

Legislation

International
representation

History

Past biological incidents	1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack 1989 California medfly attack 2001 anthrax attacks Wood Green ricin plot (2002) 2003 ricin letters 2013 ricin letters
Defunct organizations and programs	United States Army Medical Unit United States biological weapons program Sunshine Project Aeromedical Isolation Team (DoD)

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