Photo By 1st Lt. Brianne Roudebush | Airmen with the 60th Aerial Port Squadron out of Travis Air Force Base and the 165th...... read more read more
OAHU, Hawaii – More than 150 California Army and Air National Guard members from across the state participated in Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 on the Hawaiian Islands May 31-June 8.
VG/MP15 is a large-scale, multi-agency training exercise designed to improve collaborative efforts in response to domestic emergencies. The scenario, a hurricane that wreaked havoc on four of the Hawaiian Islands, required National Guard units from multiple states to team up with local, state and federal agencies in order to protect life, property and critical infrastructure and to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the wake of the hurricane.
“The reason it’s important [to conduct this type of training] is that if there is a state emergency of this magnitude, we can almost certainly bet that we will request help from other states,” Col. Peter Cross, the commander of the 49th Military Police Brigade (Homeland Response Force), said. “It fosters and builds relationships and simulates what will really happen if there is a disaster.”
The 9th Civil Support Team out of Los Alamitos, California assessed the threats and resources needed at the different training sites, the 330th MP Company Casualty Assistance and Support Element out of Ontario, California provided security for the contaminated areas, and the 49th MP Brigade (HRF) out of Fairfield, California provided the mission control element over the CSTs, CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Packages, and the CASE.
In the HRF’s tactical operations center, Soldiers and Airmen manning phones and computer monitors ensured operational success. They tracked the scope of the disaster as well as each unit’s location, mission requirements, supplies and any issues encountered.
“Especially in this high-tempo environment, whether it’s training or real-world, tracking information from higher and lower echelons is very important,” said Spc. Corinne Coleman, a human resource specialist with the 185th MP Battalion, Headquarters Headquarters Detachment. “We need to track everything and close loops so we aren’t degrading the mission or letting our Soldiers down in the process.”
During this exercise, junior enlisted and junior officers were given the opportunity to run the show; they were in charge of running the day-to-day operations within the TOC.
Coleman, who has participated in a HRF exercise before on the search and extraction team, said working in the operations center has been an eye-opening experience. She was able to see how each echelon worked together and gain a clearer understanding of why each team operates the way it does.
“This is a no-fault learning environment,” Coleman said. “I was prepared to learn whatever I was tasked to do. Now when mistakes do happen, we know how to correct ourselves, not overreact, and quickly adjust fire.”
Major Isaac Bristow, the senior logistics officer for the brigade, agreed that the exercise was an ideal opportunity to provide training to junior personnel.
“Junior enlisted personnel need to be able to fill in the gaps in the absence of senior leadership,” he said. “To do that, they have to have a good foundation of what a senior does in order to step in to that role.”
Junior personnel need to be able to competently and successfully run the daily operations to allow senior leaders to engage in the planning process.
Cross said it helps keep the integrity of the mission when the junior enlisted and junior officers handle the day-to-day operations, allowing the senior staff to plan and focus on future operations.
“This exercise, more than any other exercise, showcased our ability to do that,” Cross said. “Our junior enlisted and junior officers really were the all stars for this particular mission.”
Members of the 149th Combat Communications Squadron, an Air National Guard unit out of North Highlands, California, and the 42nd MP Brigade, and active-duty unit out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, were also invited to participate in the training. They augmented the 49th MP Brigade in the tactical operations center.
The 149th Combat Communications Squadron operated the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability, which provided satellite communications during operations.
“This simulates a real-world scenario in the event that cell towers go down,” 1st Lt. Steve Januario, the communications officer in charge with 149th, said. “The unit will still need the capability to communicate with the different islands, teams and the joint task force.”
This was the first time the 149th supported the HRF.
“It was been a good experience working with the Army to learn how they operate,” he said. “It has been very beneficial for us to build these relationships in the event that a disaster does occur.”
Two members of the 42nd MP Brigade, Capt. Christina Tamayo and Sgt. 1st Class Adam Gossens acted as the chief and deputy of assessment and protection. The active-duty unit does not usually participate in HRF missions. They said they conduct similar training, but it is not usually disaster-based. They were able to learn a lot about the HRF mission and the different terminology used.
In a real-world incident, the 42nd would be the HRF’s active-duty counterpart. They were able to share their knowledge and capabilities with each other.
“Our intent was for all of us to work together to help increase our cooperation between the components and establish a shared understanding,” Capt. Amber Luchtefeld, the brigade adjutant for the personnel section.
The ability for different Army and Air National Guard units as well as active-duty and civilian personnel to work together was a critical component of the VG/MP15 exercise.
“They are dealing with a real-world situation right now in Texas,” Sgt. Maj Cari Beetham, the brigade’s operations sergeant major, said. “They need us to be able to handle these disasters. There is a real need for us to be able to support or civil authorities and our citizens.
Cross echoed theses sentiments and thanked Brig. Gen. Bruce Oliviera and the Hawaii National Guard for including California in the exercise.
“We would not be able to manage an emergency without or state partners,” Cross said. “By Hawaii inviting us, they are highlighting and emphasizing the importance of state partnerships and we look forward to working with them in the future.”
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2015 16:24 |
| Story ID: | 166306 |
| Location: | HI, US |
| Web Views: | 176 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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