The U.S. Army awarded two key contracts to Battelle last month for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) mission support services.
One contract is for the Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) Warfighter Directorate and is valued at $42 million over five years.
The work will be conducted with the government’s Mission Equipment Systems Branch and will include support for tasks including: advanced technology development and human systems integration of personal protective equipment, body armor, exoskeletons, energy generation, energy storage, integrated helmet systems, personal electronics and man-portable nano-unmanned aerial systems, infrared night vision sensing capability and chemical and biological protection.
See also: Battelle’s REBS System Selected for Biological Threat Surveillance Program
The second award is an estimated $150 million, five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to provide on-site support to the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), the primary Department of Defense technical organization for non-medical chemical and biological defense. Battelle’s work will support the Research and Development Directorate and includes a broad range of technical support within biosciences, physical sciences, chemical sciences, toxicology and obscurants.
“These important contract wins demonstrate that Battelle can win competitively bid contracts in our area of expertise—CBRNE defense and R&D operations,” said Rick Mettke, Manager for Battelle’s CBRNE Defense Group’s Mission Support Services. “We look forward to supporting our government clients as they tackle these strategically important tasks to protect the warfighter.”
See also: ECBC Explores Use of Gels for Biological Decontamination
In addition to these mission support services, Battelle’s more than 30 years of leadership in CBRNE defense includes research, development, testing and evaluation of threat detection sensors, personal protective equipment (PPE), chemical/biological agents and explosives; risk assessment software tools to help protect the nation against terrorism threats from weapons of mass destruction; and a wide range of impactful training capabilities – from training emergency responders at the tactical level, who are responding to a possible terrorist attack, to commanders and government leaders at the operational and strategic levels who are managing the overall response.
Battelle is an official sponsor of Global Biodefense.