Description and contribution of the EU CBRN CoE
The regional CBRN exercise series in the Middle East Region (MIE) started in 2021 with the ARZ CBRN Counter Terrorism Exercise in Lebanon, followed by an exercise on Protection of Critical Infrastructures from CBRNe events in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, in May 2023. The next step is ARZ 2023 in October 2023, followed by a regional Table Top Exercise (TTX) in Jordan, scheduled for 2024, involving all three partner countries.
Results and impact
The developed exercise guide, evaluation templates and lessons learned are serving as references outputs for exercises to come. National stakeholders are proving the ownership of ARZ 2023 taking the lead of the exercise planning, supported by the Regional Secretariat and a team of international evaluators. A major step forward is organising a regional TTX in Jordan, strengthening MIE cooperation.
Key lessons learned
- National and regional stakeholders’ involvement is key
- Detailed exercise documents are essential
- International evaluators’ (OPCW, INTERPOL, IAEA, etc.) engagement is paramount for lessons learned, facilitated by realistic scenarios tailored to regional context
- Gradually increasing exercises’ complexity based upon experience gained
- Scaling up exercises to regional level to foster cooperation
- Integration of CBRN projects beyond EU CBRN CoE
To discover the most inspiring Success Stories supporting CBRN risk mitigation across the CoE network, visit the Success Stories page