Ready to respond if needed

Photo By Sgt. Cody Quinn | Officers with Task Force 76 perform crisis response operations during Vibrant Response 2016 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, May 14, 2016. Multiple Department of Defense agencies worked together during the crisis readiness exercise. VR 16 forced Soldiers to grapple with a simulated nuclear detonation on American soil. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody Quinn/28th Public Affairs Detachment)  

CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, UNITED STATES

05.14.2016

Story by Sgt. Cody Quinn 

28th Public Affairs Detachment

Soldiers and civilians from across the U.S. emergency response network completed Vibrant Response 16, a multi-week training exercise, at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, May 15.
Vibrant Response is an annual exercise that prepares Soldiers and civilians to react to a major crisis on U.S. soil.
“We are prepared to respond to disasters across the county,” said Army Reserve Col. Douglas W. Mills, chief-of-staff for Task Force 76 and a Rutland, Massachusetts native.
Task Force 76 and 38, along with Joint Task Force: Civil Support, a U.S. Army North entity, completed a two-week certification exercise that tested their staff elements.
“This is a very complex scenario,” said Maj. Gen. David C. Wood, commander of the Task Force 38, Indiana National Guard. “We don’t always have a unified command, but we have to maintain a unity of effort.”
Vibrant Response 16 tasked emergency response agencies, from the city level up to the Department of Defense, with reacting to a 10-kiloton nuclear detonation in a major U.S. city. The scenario was acted out in real time and required personnel to demonstrate their abilities in all parts of a potential emergency.
“What we have learned as warfighters applies here as well,” Wood said. “We have to get to know our partners as soon as we get to the battlefield.”
Communication between the various agencies across multiple levels was one of the largest challenges during the exercise, Wood said.
“These exercises allow us to prepare for the complex events we have to deploy and respond to,” Mills said. “The most important lesson we learned is getting to know your mission partners ahead of time.”
Task Force 38 is entering its second year of the crisis response mission while Task Force 76 is entering its third. More than 1,100 military personnel participated in Vibrant Response 16.
Evaluators assessed the units on their ability to notionally distribute supplies, perform search and rescue operations, information distribution and logistic operations.
“I’m very happy with the efforts the staff put together,” Mills said. “This exercise continues to reinforce training for new Soldiers coming onto the mission.”
This year’s exercise focused on staff and command level training. Next year’s Vibrant Response will feature a field training exercise including over 5,000 Soldiers engaging hand-on training.

• Date Taken: 05.14.2016
• Date Posted: 05.15.2016 12:40
• Story ID: 198146
• Location: CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US