The National Technical Nuclear Forensics (NTNF) Ground Collections Task Force (GCTF) recently tested their response skills during exercise Prominent Hunt 16-2B, conducted at the Walter C. Heinrich Training Center in Tampa, Florida.
Spearheaded by the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) and federal partners, the exercise provided the opportunity for GCTF resources to coordinate with state and local agencies to respond to a simulated detonation of a terrorist nuclear device.
Planes and helicopters with aerial radiation detection and mapping equipment were deployed to determine radiation levels and assist in the collection of optimal evidence samples, while ensuring the safety of the Task Force and other responders.
The NTNF GCTF is an interagency group made up of specialists from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command; the Air Force Technical Applications Center; the Department of Energy; and the FBI.