Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Lori Simmons | Mark Couture helps set up a mobile satellite system at the National Guard armory in...... read more read more
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U.S. Army North Public Affairs
U.S. Army North proved it's ready for the "real world" during exercise Vigilant Shield 2008. The national-level exercise, sponsored by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Homeland Security, tested how the unit responds during homeland defense and civil support emergencies.
Army North's Chief of Current Operations, Col. Jim Kennedy, says Army North met all the objectives it aimed for and successfully validated processes and techniques for crisis planning during civilian-led emergency scenarios.
Additionally, Kennedy explained, the unit will also use any lessons learned to become better at providing support to various local, state and federal agencies.
The key to this support, according to Army North's deputy commanding general, Brig. Gen. Francis Mahon, is the unit's defense coordinating officers and their defense coordinating element staff.
The DCOs work daily with various federal emergency offices in 10 regions within the United States. It's because of this pre-existing relationship that defense coordinating elements are able to react almost simultaneously with FEMA during major disasters or terrorist threats.
In this exercise, Army North deployed a defense coordinating element to Portland, Ore., and Phoenix, Ariz. Once on the ground, the teams consisting of military and civilian personnel stayed "tied in" with the local, state and federal efforts in case any of the agencies requested support from the Department of Defense.
Mahon said this exercise was "a great opportunity" for Army North and the civilian agencies to work together to identify where the "seams and gaps" are in capabilities before an actual crisis.
As it turns out, Army North personnel had a chance, sooner than they expected, to use the skills they trained to do.
Under the direction of U.S. NORTHCOM, Army North deployed personnel including a defense coordinating element and command assessment element in response to the recent wildfires in California.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Matthews, the commander of the CAE, explained the team is a "follow on" effort to what the defense coordinating officers are already accomplishing.
"It is very important, when you enter an event like this, not to disrupt or distract any responders who are deeply engaged," Matthews said. For this reason, he continued, Army North put together a small team of functional experts to assess the situation in a "quiet way."
Matthews emphasized, "It is not our [the CAE] job to decide what to bring in. It's the state and FEMA's job to identify what the requirements are," so there is a "coordinated effort" to make sure everyone has what they need, when and where they need it.
According to Matthews, the CAE team is responsible to report its findings back to the NORTHCOM commander who then "pushes" the information up to the Department of Defense.
Army North is the Army Component of NORTHCOM, the unified command responsible for homeland defense and civil support missions.
| Date Taken: | 10.30.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 10.30.2007 11:45 |
| Story ID: | 13479 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 747 |
| Downloads: | 727 |
This work, ARNORTH transitions from exercise mode to real world, by SFC Lori Simmons, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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