thorough decontamination

Decontamination carried out by a unit, with or without external support, to reduce contamination on personnel, equipment, materiel, and/or working areas equal to natural background or to the lowest possible levels, to permit the partial or total removal of individual protective equipment and to maintain operations with minimum degradation. This may include terrain decontamination beyond the scope of operational decontamination. See also immediate decontamination; operational decontamination.