US, Philippines host regional workshop on drone, CBRN threats
The United States Department of State, in partnership with the government of the Philippines, has hosted a five-day workshop and combined table-top exercise in Manila from 24-28 August to strengthen defences against weaponised drones and CBRN materials.
Bringing together senior operational leaders from across the Indo-Pacific, the workshop convened delegations from Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, according to an announcement published by the US Embassy in the Philippines.
The event was hosted by the State Department's Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation and the Philippines' Anti-Terrorism Council Program Management Center, and specifically addressed the threats posed by the "proliferation of low-cost, commercially available drones, and the persistent risk of CBRN materials falling into the hands of malicious actors".
"Over the course of the week, participants worked through an intensive, scenario-based tabletop exercise addressing early warning and intelligence-sharing, crisis response, technical and forensic investigation, and cross-border prosecution of UAS-CBRN threats," the US Embassy wrote.
The workshop also featured a dedicated technology showcase on 27 August, where leading US technology companies presented counter-UAS and CBRN detection solutions directly to defence, law enforcement, and emergency-response officials from participating nations.
