1st MSC Hosts Second Annual DSCA Seminar

Photo By Spc. Anthony Martinez | Mr. Todd Liebig, Army Reserve Civil-Military Projects Officer for FEMA Region II, goes over Defense Support of Civil Authorities 101 during the two-day DSCA seminar and workshop for all command teams from the 1st MSC and Non-Organic units, on Fort Buchanan, 22-23 February.  

PUERTO RICO

02.24.2017

Story by Maj. Ruth Castro 

1st Mission Support Command

FORT BUCHANAN, Puerto Rico – A category 2 hurricane has just hit the eastern part of Puerto Rico and left many without electricity and a way to get out of the storm-affected area. Does your unit have the capabilities needed to assist the local community under Immediate Response Authority?

This and other questions on what Immediate Response Authority (IRA) and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) means were answered during the two-day DSCA seminar and workshop training for all command teams from the 1st Mission Support Command (MSC) and Non-Organic units, on Fort Buchanan, 22-23 February.

Capt. Marcelo Cedeno, DSCA Planner for the 1st MSC, mentioned that this is the second year that DSCA training has occurred on Fort Buchanan. “We want to refresh their memory on the difference between IRA and DSCA. This training gives us the opportunity to educate command teams that may have changed over the course of the year and present them with any new regulations or doctrines that U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) may have.”

Training in 2016 covered the basics of Defense Support of Civil Authorities and Immediate Response Authority. This year, in additional to a recap of last year’s training, different guest speakers were brought in to broaden the command team’s understanding of what organizations are involved with DSCA throughout the community.

“I am responsible for training Army Reserve units in DSCA and IRA, so commanders know what to do in case of a disaster and know what authorities and laws govern what they do,” said Mr. Todd Liebig, Army Reserve Civil-Military Projects Officer for FEMA Region II. “As an advisor of Army Reserve units and their capabilities, I am the link between the Defense Coordinating Officers embedded with FEMA and Army Reserve units that provide a needed capability during a disaster.”

“I can use my knowledge by educating and sharing my experiences with commanders at all levels,” said Liebig. “At this event alone, we have over 120 Army Reserve commanders with their first sergeants and command sergeants major and the 1st MSC commanding general himself. Having an opportunity to have the commanding general and his staff available to answer questions specific to their role during IRA and DSCA situations is a huge plus.

Brig. Gen. Alberto C. Rosende, 1st MSC commanding general, stressed the significance of the training.

“It is important to understand that we do live on an island and if a major event were to occur, we might be asked to support the community,” said Rosende. “We have to be prepared, and this training helps us give additional validity of the levels of readiness we need to achieve in our training, and it supports us in integrating with our local communities and our local first responders.”

Puerto Rico has many Reserve units that do not fall organic to the 1st Mission Support Command. For example the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion and the 49th Multifunctional Medical Battalion. As the Senior Responsible Officer for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Rosende is the go-to person that can articulate what capabilities and issues are present for any Army Reserve unit on the island to LTG Charles D. Luckey, commanding general for the U.S. Army Reserve.

“I need to understand what issues the non-organic units may be facing that can decrease their ability to assist during an emergency event,” said Rosende. “We can also work together with them to improve our readiness with all the resources and constraints we have.”

“Ensuring we incorporate our non-organic units to this training helps us solidify our relationships,” he continued. “We are not only continuing to build those bridges in support of a DSCA mission, but these units have the opportunity to share all of the capabilities, resources, and assets that they bring to the table. In the event of an emergency, I am going to look at all the Army Reserve units in Puerto Rico and look at all of the assets I have available,” said Rosende.

“All of the trainers have been excellent,” said Rosende. “Seeing the energy in this room after two long days of training means the practical exercises went well and everybody was mentally and physically engaged and stimulated throughout this seminar.”

“This training helped us identify what kind of assistance we can provide the community, as engineers, during an emergency,” said 1st Sgt. Daniel Cardona from the 475th Engineer Battalion. “ We can assist with clearing roads or help repair buildings that sustained damage. We can look throughout our community for agency resources and begin communicating with them to prepare for an emergency.

Master Sgt. Shela Rivers, USARC Homeland Operations Logistics NCO believes this integrated training is an excellent opportunity for units to collaborate. “It gives everyone a chance to work together, network, and establish different types of means to make things like DSCA happen in real world situations,” said Rivers.

In 2012, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized the Army Reserve to provide disaster relief and emergency management in support of civil authorities, presenting a significant opportunity for the Army Reserve to meet the needs of local communities during times of disaster.

• Date Taken: 02.24.2017
• Date Posted: 02.24.2017 17:44
• Story ID: 224865
• Location: PR