Homeland Security, soldiers train together

Photo By Sgt. Juana Nesbitt | Soldiers of the 5th of the 159th General Support Aviation Battalion a U. S. Army Reserve Unit from Clearwater, Fla., piloted UH-60 helicopters outfitted with Aerial Radiation Detection and Identification Measurement System in support of the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Ground Collections Task Force Aug. 14 during Prominent Hunt 13-3, which took place alongside Vibrant Response 13-2. Vibrant Response is a major field training exercise that is designed to facilitate timely coordination and response between local, state and federal agencies to disasters in the homeland to help the American people in time of need. (Army Photo by Sgt. Juana M. Nesbitt, 13th Public Affairs Detachment)  

CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, UNITED STATES

08.14.2013

Story by Sgt. Juana Nesbitt 

13th Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – In clear skies and a light breeze, the helicopters fly. Soldiers and civilians from the United States government National Technical Nuclear Forensics program practiced collecting simulated radiation samples here during during Prominent Hunt 13-3, an exercise integrated with Vibrant Response 13-2 Aug. 14.

The operations of the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Ground Collections Task Force, which must respond without warning to a nuclear event, were the focus of Prominent Hunt 13-3.

In Vibrant Response 13-2, approximately 5,700 service members and civilians from the military and other local, state and federal agencies service members encounter various scenarios, designed to facilitate timely coordination and response to disasters in the homeland to help the American people in time of need.

“Our role in Prominent Hunt 13-3 is to assist in the collection of evidence and establish a chain of custody,” said Carlos Guerra, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“In a chain of custody, the evidence is documented from where it is collected, thru where it goes to the lab and if it is ever needed in a court proceeding, we would have that chain of custody documented,” Guerra explained.

“Sometimes you have situations where there’s a mix up with the evidence and defense attorneys will take advantage,” said Guerra. “They will try to show that the evidence doesn’t show what you think it shows because there is a gap in the chain of custody or some other issue of handling the evidence so that’s where we come in.”

If the homeland ever faced a nuclear incident, it is imperative that different agencies work well together, said Guerra.

“It’s great to be able to work with the people that you’d actually be working with if something real world happened,” said Guerra.

Even though the FBI operates a certain way, it is good to see how other agencies work and how they approach a problem, said Guerra.

“It’s very important to have an exercise like this,” Spc. Jonathan Chestnutt, decontamination team leader, and native of Faison, N.C., with the 22nd Chemical Battalion, 68th Chemical Company of Fort Hood, Texas. “You don’t get to work with a lot of these guys too often.”

“One of the difficulties is trying to work with certain time lines, because sometimes there isn’t one and then it’s a matter of reacting, so you have to just go with the flow,” said Chestnutt.

Even though there are a few challenges at the beginning, as the training progresses, it eventually begins to run smooth, said Chestnutt.

Vibrant Response is a major field training exercise that is designed to facilitate timely coordination and response between local, state and federal agencies to disasters in the homeland to help the American people in time of need conducted by U.S. Northern Command and led by U.S. Army North (Fifth Army).

• Date Taken: 08.14.2013
• Date Posted: 08.16.2013 17:16
• Story ID: 112131
• Location: CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US
• Hometown: FAISON, NC, US
• Hometown: FORT CAVAZOS, TX, US