Bridge Between Partners

Photo By Maj. Aaron Testa | As the Maryland National Guard continues to support civil agencies with service members spread around the state, liaison officers—commonly referred to as LNOs—are making a critical difference in getting support to the people who need it.  

BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES

06.01.2020

Story by Staff Sgt. Paul Porter 

29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

As the Maryland National Guard continues to support civil agencies with service members spread around the state, liaison officers—commonly referred to as LNOs—are making a critical difference in getting support to the people who need it.

“The most important job of an LNO, is to build relationships,” said Maj. Christian Maisel, a member of the 291st Digital Liaison Detachment, based at Adelphi, Md. Maisel is the LNO embedded with the City of Baltimore’s Emergency Operations Center.

During the COVID-19 pandemic response, Soldiers from the Maryland Army National Guard’s 291st DLD have been responsible for providing daily communication and coordination to support civilian partners throughout Maryland. The 291st DLD is composed of 30 personnel experts in five functional areas operations/maneuver, intelligence, fire support, logistics, and air and missile defense. Digital liaison detachments help integrate military operations with other military units, as well as interagency and international partners.

“They need to be friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and sensitive to cultural differences,” Maisel said. “And as much as they are there to feed info to their own headquarters, good LNOs make themselves an asset to their partners.”

Over the years, Maisel has worked with the City of Baltimore EOC during hurricane and snowstorm responses, embedded with the Maryland State Police during the 2015 civil unrest in Baltimore, and had served as an LNO during a tense Republic of Korea and North Korea missile situation. Maisel grew up around Baltimore County and has taught history and coached soccer, hockey, and baseball at The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland in Baltimore for nearly ten years. He recently became a Baltimore County police officer and also runs a museum with his father.

“LNOs protect units from collateral damage, can share tactical and logistical data, and create channels to better effectively respond to national emergencies,” said Maisel. “They need to know the capabilities and limitations of the military equipment in the area of responsibility, the partner’s equipment, and local laws and regulations.”

A LNO requires a diverse set of skills and a broad range of knowledge to successfully establish communication, maintain mutual understanding, and enhance cooperation between the National Guard and the organizations it supports. A unique mix of diplomacy, intelligence analysis, and public relations ultimately leads to figuring out how the supported civilian organizations can best utilize Guard assets.

“Being born and raised in west Baltimore and still a current resident, it is empowering to have the opportunity to serve the community and give back to my home city,” said 2nd Lt. Nicholas Kostas, an LNO currently working with the Baltimore Police Department. “I am grateful to serve with the different agencies and not only learn what they do on a daily basis but ultimately come together as one team against COVID.”

Kostas attended Baltimore City Public Schools, graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County while working part time for Northrop Grumman and attending Reserve Officer Training Corps at John’s Hopkins University. While this is his first mission as an LNO, he credits his success in the position to the experience and mentoring of the other LNOs he serves with. There is no formal training for an LNO and the officers are typically embedded with their organization without any prior experience with that organization.

A part of the MDNG’s force consists of people who have spent time on active duty, in other military branches, and in the civilian sector. This type of experience is critical for an LNO who must work both within the Guard and for partner organizations that have a diverse mix of experiences and potentially conflicting priorities.

But in the job of the LNO, the information sharing goes both ways. It is important for the LNO to share critical information from their host organizations back to the Guard.

“The image of Soldiers in a city can be very sensitive and understanding that different neighborhoods or departments in the government may have different receptions to Soldiers showing up, is very important information for the LNO to receive,” said Maisel.

Task Force 291 was established in October 2019 as one of four Maryland Army National Guard’s Major Subordinate Commands dual-hatted with the 291st DLD. In addition to providing command and control for federal missions, TF291 also provides support to state and local authorities during governor-declared state emergencies. For the COVID-19 response, TF291 units performed liaison roles with Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and the Annapolis State House; adaptive battle staff for the Army and Joint Staffs in Maryland; as well as Defensive Cyber Operations as part of JTF Cyber.

• Date Taken: 06.01.2020
• Date Posted: 06.10.2020 10:58
• Story ID: 371757
• Location: BALTIMORE, MD, US