Photo By William Brugge | Fort Benning, along with local, state, and federal partners from the Chattahoochee...... read more read more
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Fort Benning, along with local, state, and federal partners from the Chattahoochee Valley, gathered July 15-16, 2025, at the Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center for the Disaster Resilience Across the Chattahoochee Valley Conference. The event aimed to bring together community leaders and emergency response personnel to address disaster preparedness and response for the region.
Hosted by the Georgia-Alabama Partnership for Sustainability, the conference, attended by Fort Benning, Columbus Emergency Management & Homeland Security, the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, and surrounding Chattahoochee Valley communities, focused on identifying and addressing gaps in critical infrastructure services before, during, and after disasters—including power outages, water shortages, utility disruptions, and energy deficiencies.
“You don’t want to be passing out business cards during a time of emergency,” said Karl Nagel, an emergency management specialist at Fort Benning. “Having the opportunity to meet face to face and shake hands with emergency response managers from all levels across the area is a crucial first step in the preparedness of the Chattahoochee Valley.”
Brent Widener, Fort Benning environmental division chief and moderator of a panel on managing trees and debris during disasters, echoed similar sentiments.
“We’re limited in the opportunities we have to collaborate with our local, state, and federal partners outside of the installation,” Widener said. “Bringing together so many local emergency managers with a wide range of expertise helps everyone by providing opportunities to learn something they might not normally be exposed to.”
The conference also featured support from the Department of the Army on the second and final day. Brandon Cockrell, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for energy and sustainability, delivered the keynote speech, discussing current threats facing Army installations, including natural disasters, physical and cyber threats, and rising energy demands. He emphasized the Army’s efforts to adopt emerging technologies and foster local partnerships to transform installations to effectively counter these challenges.
“Our goal is for every Army installation to have the capability of becoming an ‘island’ in a contested environment,” Cockrell said. “I think the key is making sure that everyone knows that doesn’t mean total isolation. It means an installation has the ability to continue the Army’s mission while also supporting those who provide support to the mission.”
Cockrell also highlighted the significance of local partnerships in this transformation. “Having these conversations ahead of time, having partnerships ahead of time, it’s crucial. You can see what this region is doing and the partnerships that have been formed, directly impacting Soldiers and their families off the installation. It’s a partnership built outside of the installation focused on lethality and the Army’s overall mission. It’s teamwork.”
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.22.2025 16:21 |
| Story ID: | 543539 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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