Courtesy Photo | DLA’s mobile command vehicle parks at Fort Bragg, N.C., to support operations in...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Defense Logistics Agency team members used a new method to ensure the agency had communications capabilities in North Carolina as Hurricane Arthur moved toward the state’s coast July 3.
Douglas Dykstra and Doug Deimler, both information technology specialists with DLA Information Operations, were notified of their deployment to Fort Bragg, N.C., the morning of July 3. They took DLA’s mobile command vehicle, which provides a direct link to the DLA network that allows for real-time logistics operations, and had it running within 24 hours.
“We just packed up our stuff, headed into the office, … and drove down to Fort Bragg,” Dykstra said. “We were actually on the road within three hours.”
Army Col. Bradford Hildabrand, of DLA Logistics Operations, arrived later that day and took command of the team. He said the purpose of the MCV is to provide a mobile communications and work center to provide a direct link to DLA systems.
Dykstra said the vehicle was developed after 2012’s Hurricane Sandy demonstrated a need for DLA to have a mobile command center. Damaged infrastructure in the wake of that storm highlighted communications challenges between DLA and team members operating in a disaster area.
Hildabrand added: “The whole idea is to go and assess what the real needs are and transmit those requirements back to DLA so the field activities can send the commodities that are needed.”
The MCV is a 40 foot trailer that can be towed almost anywhere behind a large pickup truck. Future capabilities may include a version that can be shipped via air to broaden its range and capabilities.
In the MCV’s current configuration, it is transported to where it’s needed and communications are set up by two people. Afterward, specialists in various areas of logistical expertise are brought in, creating a miniature command center.
“Basically, it’s a containerized communications package that allows us to deploy anywhere that we need to in the United States. When we roll on to the site, we set up a portable command office,” Dykstra said. “We can connect directly to the DLA network, letting us work within our own system.”
Dykstra explained that the vehicle contains state-of-the-art communications equipment, big-screen televisions for teleconferencing, a weather station and its own 20,000-kilowatt generator. These tools let the station be completely self-sufficient in emergencies.
“We can operate completely autonomous of any other facilities,” he said. “If the infrastructure of an area is completely destroyed and we can’t place an incident response team into a building, we can still operate.”
Upon reaching the site, the team tested the MCV’s communication capabilities and made contact with Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives to tour FEMA’s facilities and asses the agency’s needs. FEMA teams deployed to Fort Bragg in preparation and set up a staging area complete with food, water and generators.
After Hildabrand’s initial contact with FEMA, the storm subsided, and the MCV team learned there were no additional requirements for DLA, so they left July 5.
While the deployment was cut short, Hildabrand said it provided a valuable learning opportunity to prepare for upcoming events and demonstrated a new and powerful capability.
“I think this exercise really highlighted the capability, that it is quick, responsive and self-contained,” he said. “This was the first time I had the opportunity to go out with the vehicle, and it gives me a higher level of confidence in its capabilities.”
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2014 15:02 |
| Story ID: | 135753 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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