Photo By Capt. Kirk Rojas | Sgt. Debbie-Ann Nanton-Smith, left, and Sgt. 1st Class Kiijah Todman, right, 104th...... read more read more
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Virgin Islands National Guard soldiers and airmen began Vigilant Guard 17-03 on St. Croix and St. Thomas on May 15, testing their ability to execute the disaster response plans at all levels of the organization.
At 104th Troop Command, despite the real world and scenario-based challenges, they have been able to work through the missions and support the exercise’s Joint Task Force-VI.
“As the missions come in we go through our analysis and then we send back our responses back up to our higher command,” said Capt. Germaine Gumbs, operations officer, 104th Troop Command. “The soldiers are responding to the missions and we have been able to provide the necessary response.”
The scenario called for the unit to be displaced from the Lt. Col. Lionel A. Jackson Readiness Center after a tsunami hit the Virgin Islands, and the soldiers set up a logistics staging area and tactical operations center outside to be able to function and execute missions.
Additionally, JTF-VI was established on St. Thomas, transitioning the unit to a task force, Task Force Alpha, that needed to control and support additional forces. The distance also added a communication barrier to the scenario.
Gumbs, serving as the Task Force Alpha battle captain during the exercise, acknowledged the challenges but praised the efforts of the service members.
“They have been doing an outstanding job. The soldiers have been put to the test and really performed. We’ve been trying to ensure we do our part in this exercise to get a true assessment of where we are and what we need to do.”
The task force had to re-align its subordinate units into functional task forces while integrating units such as the 285th Civil Engineer Squadron, VI Air National Guard. The soldiers and airmen completed missions to include route clearance, civil disturbance response, and support to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosive (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P) of the Puerto Rico National Guard.
Vigilant Guard 17-03 is a national disaster response exercise being conducted in the U.S. Virgin Islands, May 15-19, hosted by the Virgin Islands National Guard and U.S. Northern Command.
| Date Taken: | 05.17.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2017 17:58 |
| Story ID: | 234201 |
| Location: | ST. CROIX, VI |
| Web Views: | 106 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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