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U.S. Military Trains Troops To Secure Chemical Weapons

07:26

September 05, 2013

U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers participate in a CBR (chemical, biological and radiological) warfare training exercise in South Korea, May 16, 2013. (Ahnn Young-joon/AP)

Earlier this year, the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division conducted a nine-day training to deal with chemical weapons.

As NPR's Tom Bowman reported, the U.S. military wants troops ready to secure Syrian chemical weapons, in case the regime falls.

There are also reports that the U.S. and NATO allies have been using defense contractors to train Syrian rebels to deal with chemical weapons stockpiles in the country.

So what's exactly involved in the training?

Guest

Kalev Sepp, senior lecturer in defense analysis at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

This segment aired on September 5, 2013.