10th Public Affairs Operations Center

Story by Spc. Crystal Abbott

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – Sitting at a desk with feet kicked up on the table, eating doughnuts, may be okay for security guards at a shopping mall or parking structure, but at the Vibrant Response 2009 exercise, the Joint Task Force Civil Support security team is on the job and ready to keep military personnel safe.

"My job is to make sure that everybody gets here and leaves here safely," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Pohl, JTF-CS security team member. "I also check for verification of credentials to enter this facility. Just because someone has a security clearance does not necessarily mean they are cleared to enter our facility."

Army Sgt. Allen Crawford, another member of the JTFCS security team, says it is important the people participating in Vibrant Response '09 can do so without having lots of interruptions from outside the exercise environment.

"We want to ensure that the command structure can keep the mission focus and not have to worry about any outside influences bothering them," Crawford said.

However, sometimes enforcing security can be a bit of a problem.

"The junior enlisted Soldiers are sometimes intimidated by higher ranking members when they are trying to enforce security measures," explained Crawford. "They need to be able to say, 'with all due respect, this is my job, this is the standard and I respect your rank, but I am here to enforce these rules for your protection and security.'"

The fight to keep the joint operations center secure doesn't end with the security team, each participant also has a role in keeping the exercise grounds safe.

"Everyone in the exercise is issued a security badge," explained Joseph Squizzero, JTF-CS deputy director of intelligence. "Having the badges allows us to notice quickly if something isn't right. Depending on the badge they are issued, we can quickly determine what kind of information that person is cleared to view."

Even though the battle for security is on-going, the security team has still found time to enjoy other aspects of the Vibrant Response exercise.

"I have enjoyed getting to see shipmates that I don't always get to see," said Pohl, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo. "It is great to interact with other shipmate and other service members. There is a great group of people that I work with on this exercise."

Crawford agreed that the opportunity to work with members from different services is very refreshing.

"Working with other services really is the best part of the job," Crawford said. "You get to see a different perspective of people's jobs. When you work in a joint task force, it's like you get to see a whole different world."

Vibrant Response '09, running Aug. 1-9, is an exercise that allows JTS-CS to train for its mission of saving lives, preventing further injury and providing temporary critical support in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive event.

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