ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - A team of seasoned U.S. Army civilian pilots routinely support chemical surety missions that contribute to lifesaving research across the nation.

Army civilian pilots from the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Analytical and Remediation Activity (CARA) are the only aviators in the U.S. military authorized to support chemical surety missions off military installations.

A one-of-a-kind Army civilian activity, CARA maintains organic airlift capabilities with U.S. Army civilian pilots who are dual rated to fly both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.

CARA also supports remediation missions at Formerly Used Defense Sites and conducts emergency responses, overseas and stateside, to characterize and assess Recovered Chemical Warfare Materiel.

The CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity is part of the 20th CBRNE Command.

In addition to CARA, the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-headquartered 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and Nuclear Disablement Teams.

From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command confront and defeat the world's most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.

Christopher J. Hurst, a U.S. Army civilian pilot and retired Army chief warrant officer 5, said CARA Aviation provides the Army's only dedicated fixed and rotary wing support for the transportation of chemical surety, non-surety material, recovered chemical warfare material, command response and site evaluation teams.

CARA Aviation has also recently supported Nuclear Disablement Teams and WMD Coordination Teams training exercises.

"When not supporting real world missions, CARA Aviation conducts rigorous aircraft training during day, night and Instrument Meteorological Conditions (flying in the clouds using instruments as the sole navigation reference)," said Hurst.

The CARA pilots are graduates of the U.S. Army Initial Entry Rotary Wing training program on Fort Novosel, Alabama. All CARA pilots also hold FAA Commercial Pilots Certificates as well as numerous other FAA certificates and aircraft type ratings.

With more than 150 years of collective military aviation experience, the CARA civilian pilots have a combined 28,000 flight hours with an average of more than 5,600 flight hours per pilot.

CARA pilots have collectively flown to 39 nations and served on more than 18 deployments.

The Department of Defense Surety Program enables the research and development of cutting edge personal protective equipment, chemical monitoring devices, medical countermeasures and chemical decontamination capabilities.

Hurst said surety missions directly support the readiness of U.S. forces and protects the homeland from WMD threats.

"Moving surety material across the United States directly supports future warfighting capabilities in the CBRNE arena," said Hurst.

Franz J. Amann, the CARA director, said the Army civilian pilots are key to CARA's mission success. Since not many Army pilots are dual rated to fly both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, CARA pilots bring critical skill sets to the organization, said Amann.

"Our highly experienced CARA Aviation team safely transports surety materiel to designated research facilities," said Amman. "The delivered chemical agent is critical to accurately test the effectiveness and survivability of the CBRN personal protective equipment. This testing provides our warfighters the confidence that they can fight and survive in a contaminated environment."

"When not on mission, the pilots support other 20th CBRNE teams in their training that supports these team's readiness," said Amann, a retired U.S. Army Chemical Corps colonel from Spartanburg, South Carolina. "Like the other CARA civilians, our pilots bring a wealth of experience to this organization and keep us ready to conduct our critical missions."

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