Photo By David Poe | Under the observation of a 1st Armored Division trainer, Fort Bliss Law Enforcement...... read more read more
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Sirens blared and emergency vehicles mobilized across Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. 20, as the installation executed a large-scale integrated defense exercise, testing its ability to respond to multiple, simultaneous security threats.
The exercise began with complex scenarios unfolding across the installation at the peak of morning rush hour. The simulated threats included an opening event on East Bliss and a drone incursion that allowed law-enforcement officers hands-on training on the post's counter-unmanned aircraft systems protocol.
Throughout the morning, a wide array of first responders was active across the post. The Directorate of Emergency Services coordinated the joint operation, bringing together the Fort Bliss Fire Department, special agents from the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), military police, and others.
In response to the simulated attacks, the Fort Bliss Crisis Action Team was activated at the installation's Emergency Operations Center. The team, composed of key stakeholders and leaders from across the post, is responsible for managing resources and coordinating the large-scale response.
These individual events were part of a larger, rapidly evolving scenario designed to challenge the post’s emergency management systems and its ability to handle varied security challenges under stress.
According to Addiel Castillo, the Fort Bliss emergency manager, coordinating a response between different first-responder units during a complex, multi-location event is “a balancing act.”
“In a multi-location response, we may face communication breakdowns when units operate on different platforms, delaying the exchange of critical information,” he said. “Resource allocation becomes a complex task, ensuring personnel, equipment, and medical support are positioned effectively across sites is both logistically demanding and stressful. Procedural differences can also slow unified action, as each agency may follow its own standard operating procedures, and maintaining real-time situational awareness across dispersed locations remains challenging without integrated systems.”
Drone operation support for this scenario was supplied by Soldiers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. Castillo noted that technology is advancing rapidly, which shapes both the threats we face and our collective ability to respond to them.
“Over the past decade, digital transformation has fundamentally reshaped how we communicate,” said Castillo. “Today, real-time data can be shared seamlessly, enabling synchronized updates across agencies. Advances in radio systems and cellular networks have strengthened cross-agency communication—even in remote areas. Secure cloud platforms now provide remote access to incident action plans, capability assessments, logistics information, and personnel tracking, ensuring decision-makers have the information they need, when they need it.”
The training is part of a global program directed by U.S. Army Installation Management Command–Readiness, which conducts similar exercises on its garrisons worldwide to ensure high levels of readiness.
The focus on integrated defense protection exercises reflects lessons learned from real-world events. These exercises are designed to replicate the pressure of such events, ensuring that when a real crisis occurs, the response is swift and effective.
“We employ a layered communications strategy to ensure that lessons learned reach local stakeholders, response partners, and higher headquarters,” said Castillo. “We deliver After Action Reports and Corrective Action Plans through command briefings, updates to SOPs, joint garrison-wide training, and peer-to-peer knowledge exchanges.”
For the Soldiers involved, the training provided a realistic and valuable experience. Soldiers from the Fort Bliss Law Enforcement Activity Military Police Company played a large role in the day's events, serving not only as first responders but also as key members of the evaluation team tasked with assessing the installation's procedures.
“Our next steps are deliberate after-action reviews where we will help leaders see what they did well and where they have room for improvement,” said Col. Michael Soyka, the Fort Bliss Garrison commander. “Anytime that you can apply pressure in a dynamic situation and observe and evaluate leaders’ actions, you not only test them, but develop them. That is the real purpose of this exercise: to develop our leaders and to make our installation safer.”
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2025 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 546785 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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