Brooklyn May Not Lose Team That Will Respond to Attacks from Weapons of Mass Destruction After All

Brooklyn’s 24th National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (at Fort Hamilton) was recently put on the chopping block to save money, and the city was this close to losing it.

This is the team that trains specifically for terrorist attacks and emergencies in the five boroughs.

What genius thought of this one? According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the Department of Defense had recommended scrapping two of the 57 country's CSTs -- one in New York and one in Florida. (Why not the one in Rhode Island?)

Fortunately, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) had the funding inserted into a Defense Department appropriations bill that was approved by the House of Representatives last week.

But he also said the funding is contingent upon the approval of the U.S. Senate.

“New York City remains the number one terror target in the nation, and we simply cannot afford to make nonsensical and irresponsible cuts to such an essential asset to our security,” Grimm said.

Well, duh.

Shown above: Soldiers from the California National Guard 95th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (similar to the one threatened in Brooklyn) and the 95th Chemical Company, 2d Engineer Brigade, conduct joint operations at the Arctic Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Site on JBER-Richardson July 17. Photo courtesy of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

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