DoD Announces Certification of WMD-CST Team for South Dakota
July 13, 2007

The Department of Defense (DoD) notified Congress today that the Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) of the South Dakota National Guard is now certified.

The 82nd WMD-CST of Rapid City, S.D., is fully ready to assist civil authorities in responding to a domestic weapon of mass destruction incident, and possesses the requisite skills, training and equipment to be proficient in all mission requirements.

The team certified today brings the total number of teams certified by DoD to 52. Congress has authorized a total of 55 WMD-CSTs, which is enough to field at least one team in every state, territory and the District of Columbia.

The remaining three teams will be certified by September 2007.