Chemical Company Cases Unit Colors During Inactivation Ceremony

FORT BLISS, Texas - The 46th Chemical Company (Technical Escort) cased its colors during an inactivation ceremony on Fort Bliss, Texas, Sept. 12, 2025.

The Fort Bliss, Texas-based 46th Chemical Company was part of the 22nd Chemical Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military's premier Joint Task Force-capable CBRNE formation.

Originally activated in March 1942, the chemical company was known as Company C, 81st Chemical Battalion.

The unit served with distinction in World War II and supported operations in Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe.

The unit has served under different designations on Aberdeen Proving Ground Edgewood Area, Maryland; Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; Fort Hood, Texas, and in the United Kingdom.

The 46th Chemical Company has recently integrated with the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Defense to provide expert analysis and recommendations on equipment. CBRN Soldiers from the company have also participated in a live agent exercise in Canada and served on the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Task Force.

Capt. Ian M. Hadley served as the commander of the 46th Chemical Company (Technical Escort) prior to its inactivation. Hadley thanked his Soldiers for their many accomplishments during his time in command.

"I was gifted with an extremely disciplined, talented and resourceful band of professionals," said Hadley. "You always found a way over, around, underneath or straight through whatever you found in your way."

Lt. Col. Greg A. Suguitan, the commander of the 22nd Chemical Battalion, spoke at the inactivation ceremony.

"Today, we gather for an important moment in the history of the 22nd Chemical Battalion and the U.S. Army Chemical Corps," said Suguitan. "The casing of a guidon is never routine. It is symbolic. It marks not just the inactivation of a unit but also the closing of a chapter in our Army story."

Suguitan mentioned that the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks had occurred the day before the ceremony.

"In the years that followed, the 46th stood on the frontlines of our nation's response to the evolving threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction. It trained, deployed and stood ready not just for war but catastrophic prevention," said Suguitan. "This company consistently performed at the highest levels of readiness and reliability."

Suguitan said the 46th Chemical Company (Technical Escort) had made an enduring contribution to the defense of the nation.

"The 46th was never built for the spotlight. It was built for the no fail mission. This company operates in the shadows of the nation's most sensitive response capabilities," said Suguitan. "When called, the 46th delivered."

"Make no mistake: this company's impact is permanent. It's found across our CBRN enterprise, in the Soldiers, the missions it supports and the readiness it upheld," said Suguitan. "Though the guidon is cased, the legacy of the 46th Chemical Company lives on."