Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CST)

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These U.S. DOD units, staffed by the Army and the Air National Guard, support local and state authorities at domestic WMD and nuclear, biological, and chemical incident sites. CSTs are able to deploy rapidly, help local first responders determine the nature of an attack, provide medical and technical advice, and assist with requests for additional military support. CSTs will normally be the first National Guard units to arrive at a WMD incident. Requests for assistance during an emergency from the local level must be initiated by an official government agency, passed to the state emergency manager through emergency management channels, and be directed to the adjutant general.

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