The Non-Conventional Threat  

NCT CBRNe Asia 2014 – #1 CBRNe event in Asia  

After successful regional forums in Thailand (2012) and Malaysia (2013), NCT CBRNe Asia 2014 came in its third year to the magnificent Koh Pich (Diamond Island) City Hall in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. NCT CBRNe Asisa 2014 took place from October 14-16 in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) as well as the Cambodian Ministry of Defense and National Defense Authority of Chemical Weapons. Starting with a live exercise at Bavet Check Point (Cambodian-Vietnamese Border) and the glamourous NCT CBRNe Awards Gala Dinner, it hosted both the two-day conference as well as the UNSCR 1540 regional workshops.  

NCT CBRNe Asia 2014 – the conference  

The official Opening Ceremony on regional CBRN challenges and prevention measures was opened by H.E. General Em Sam An, Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Interior. Together with representatives from Thailand and the US, the plenary discussed highly recognizable capability building programs of those countries worldwide and in the ASEAN region. Giving first-hand insights in regional training activities on the whole spectrum of CBRN defense from prevention programs, detection approaches and the decontamination of personnel and equipment. Together with presentations from representatives from South Korea and Pakistan on perceptions of current CBRN threats in Asia and how CBRN Defense Commands can efficiently prepare for responding to those, the scene was set for the conference.  

As every year, NCT CBRNe Asia provided an outstanding overview of current challenges and SOPs of different countries such as Turkey, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, India and Cambodia when it comes to the whole range of prevention, detection and response measures to chemical, biological and radiological hazards. The forum provided therewith the stage for countries all over Asia to learn how each state tackles his very own challenges and sometimes imminent cross-border threats – a step forward to a further informal integration and establishment of a regional CBRN community. A fact highlighted as well during the Closing Speech of H.E. General Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense. He expressed his gratefulness for such large delegations from all over the world coming to Phnom Penh in order to discuss important issues related to WMD and CBRN, and announced to continue working together with important stakeholders such as the EU, the USA and ASEAN for enhanced safety and security in Cambodia and the whole Southeast Asia.  

NCT CBRNe Awards – Rewarding Excellence  

The glamorous highlight of NCT CBRNe Asia was a spectacular awards ceremony during which the winners of the second edition of the NCT CBRNe Awards were announced. The NCT CBRNe Awards are the industry prizes for CBRNe products, solutions and developments in the international CBRNe Community and are initiated to reward companies and organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the CBRNe Community.   

H.E. General Em Sam An, Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Interior opened the festive gala and stressed the importance of CBRN research and development in order to counter the CBRN threat in Asia and globally. This year’s winners had been announced in the following categories:  

The NCT CBRNe Product Award 2014 for the best CBRN solution on the market went to Camtech’s ‘Camthrex’ biodetection handheld device. The NCT CBRNe Innovation Award 2014 for last year’s most innovative product goes to NBC-Sys’ ‘BioChemGel’. For the NCT CBRNe Community Award 2014, the online voting and the live voting during the Gala Dinner knew a very clear winner with over 50% of the total votes: the German Army’s Joint CBRN Defense Command. And finally, the NCT CBRNe Capability Award for the country or organization that improved its capabilities or having had an impact on the capabilities of another country or organization, went to the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).  

NCT CBRNe Event Series in 2015  

NCT CBRNe events will continue in 2015 to build an international CBRN community and to enhance the exchange of best practices, country specific challenges and lessons learned in the field of CBRN defense. In 2015 NCT CBRNe events will take place in Europe, USA and the Middle East. The next NCT CBRNe Asia event will take place in November 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand – back where it all started in 2012!