Between 28 and 30 August 2017 the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Centre of Excellence (JCBRN Defence COE) had the pleasure of hosting a visit by the Director of the Canadian Armed Forces’ CBRN Defence Force Development, LTC Gerard Byrne and his Deputy, MAJ Randall Wayne Godfrey. The delegation was welcomed by the JCBRN Defence COE Director, Colonel Vratislav Osvald and a representative from the Czech Ministry of Defence, Mr Petr Cech, Head of Strategic Development Capability of the MOD. The initial talks were held in the hotel DAP in Prague.

The main topic of discussion was the Canadian intention to join the JCBRN Defence COE.

The first day mainly focussed on legal issues, such as the application of the NATO SOFA, the Paris Protocol and other relevant documents. This was followed by a short presentation by LTC Byrne on the role of CBRN troops in the Canadian Armed Forces.

The second day took place at the JCBRN Defence COE. It began with a comprehensive overview of the COE´s mission, development, organization and structure, capabilities and key areas of interest, given by Colonel Vratislav Osvald. The Canadian delegation was then briefed on the roles and tasks of the JCBRN Defence COE Departments. After the briefings, the Canadian delegation was shown the CBRN Reachback Operations Room, the CBRN Modelling and Simulation section and the Operations Support Planning Section.

The visit concluded with a series of briefings on administrative procedures, medical care, family support and welfare, schooling options and life in the Czech Republic in general. Before their departure, the Canadian delegation reiterated the importance of the visit from their perspective and thanked the COE team for their hospitality. They also stressed that they looked forward to continuing to develop the relationship between the JCBRN Defence COE and Canadian CBRN Force.