7th CSC develops skills, readiness during quarterly FCM training

Photo By Sgt. Maj. Alexander Burnett | Soldiers from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command and the 7th Civil Support Command listen to guidance on foreign consequence management products from Col. Russell A. Henderson, the 7th CSC deputy commanding officer and a native of Vancouver, Wash., during quarterly FCM training Nov. 19 on Daenner Kaserne.  

KAISERSLAUTERN, BW, GERMANY

11.21.2013

Story by Staff Sgt. Alexander Burnett 

21st Theater Sustainment Command

KAISERLAUTERN, Germany - Soldiers from the 7th Civil Support Command and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command gathered in the Kaiserslautern Community Activity Center on Daenner Kaserne Nov. 19-21 to conduct quarterly foreign consequence management training.

Soldiers engage in FCM operations when natural or man-made disaster afflicts an area or nation such as the disaster wrought by Typhoon Yolanda in the Phillipines. During quarterly training, these actions are refined to ensure all Soldiers are best prepared to perform their mission.

This marks the third iteration of training for members of both units. The first few days of previous sessions were classroom-oriented, with briefings from subject mattter experts explaining how individual sections in an FCM task force contribute to the overall mission. This time, soldiers were immediately placed into working groups to develop and refine their courses of action.

The goal of the new approach is improved mission-readiness.

“Members from the 21st TSC and the 7th CSC are working together in their groups to develop our plans of action now, instead of waiting for a disaster to hit and having to scramble at the last minute,” said Capt. Dan O’Connor, the 21st TSC’s chief of operational law and a native of Medford, Mass. “By sitting down together, asking each other the hard questions and determining how we need to act in the future, we will save time and energy when a mission comes up.”

Each working group submitted a “seven-minute drill” and any documents necessary for their mission in an FCM situation to Col. Russell A. Henderson, the 7th CSC deputy commanding officer and a native of Vancouver, Wash. He reviewed all products and provided feedback to ensure each section had the best product possible. These products are for use in the 7th CSC’s upcoming “Saber Guardian” exercise, said Henderson.

“After this training session we will have a very good series of products that will aid us in our upcoming exercise and future foreign consequence management operations,” said Henderson. “When we went into our FCM exercise earlier this year, we spent a great deal of time preparing products. This year, we will go in with our products and information ready.”

The 7th CSC and 21st TSC have one more quarterly training session before “Saber Guardian.”

“When we get done with the next quarterly training we want to have the best solution possible to most of the problems we may face during a foreign consequence management scenario,” said Henderson. “Going into ‘Saber Guardian’ we will be well prepared.”

• Date Taken: 11.21.2013
• Date Posted: 11.22.2013 04:28
• Story ID: 117204
• Location: KAISERSLAUTERN, BW, DE
• Hometown: MEDFORD, MA, US
• Hometown: VANCOUVER, WA, US