Photo By 1st Sgt. Jim Heuston | Arkansas National Guardsmen observe a downed power line safety brief during the...... read more read more
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Arkansas National Guardsmen completed the inaugural Guardian Response Training Academy, Aug. 21, 2025, on Camp Joe T. Robinson.
The three-day course combines all previous disaster response training into a single course of instruction. Chainsaw safety and operation, power line safety, and liaison officer training, as well as the administration and pay systems classes that were previously conducted during the yearly training cycle will now be conducted annually in August.
Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges, adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard, directed that the training be enhanced to meet Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders’ call for a new measure of preparedness and interoperability with external partner agencies for future emergencies and disasters.
"Posturing this consolidated training event annually maximizes preparedness, identifies and develops a highly trained and ready Governor’s Guard state response force capable of rapid deployment and civilian agency coordination,” said Maj. Jason Montgomery, operations officer, Arkansas National Guard Directorate of Military Support.
The Guardian Response Training Academy’s mission is to prepare highly trained and ready Soldiers and Airmen capable of rapid deployment in a response to any request for assistance from civilian authorities, and to instill the ability to quickly coordinate with and support those civilian agencies.
"Deliberate collaboration with the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management provided Guard forces with updated plans and processes,” said Montgomery describing the new model of training. “ADEM, the state’s lead agency in disaster response, provided Regional Emergency Coordinators and members of the State Emergency Operations Center to directly coordinate with Soldiers and Airmen.”
The new training is also influenced by the adjutant general’s goal to foster a “growth mindset” in Guardsmen, surrounding them with subject matter experts, and teaching them to embrace challenges as opportunities to learn.
“It was just a lot better having civilians with twenty plus years of doing this, teaching us,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Dyer with the 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment. The National Guard armory in Beebe, Ark., where Dyer attends drill, is frequently called on to provide vehicles when severe weather strikes central Arkansas.
Dyer started volunteering for state active duty missions during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and couldn’t remember the exact number of times he’s volunteered since then to help during natural disasters. “I’ve volunteered a lot. I love doing it. I love meeting and working with local police forces, firefighters, and all the local communities and helping them out.”
Along with specialized training from external partner agencies, the academy introduces Guardsmen to the Arkansas Wireless Information Network an encrypted digital communications system used by law enforcement and fire departments across the state, and the Activate, Respond, Recover, Operate system, a cloud-based automated system that manages the accounting of personnel and equipment costs during emergencies.
ARRO, originally used by California National Guard, is designed as a software solution to manage personnel, equipment, and payroll during an emergency response.
Used by many of the states surrounding Arkansas; this system puts the Arkansas National Guard in tune with the resource management of those states as well, so Guardsmen can deploy out of Arkansas and focus on the critical tasks at hand.
Not every Guardsman attends every class, depending on rank and responsibility, the class of 118 students was divided based on what role they would be called on to perform in a crisis.
The Soldiers and Airmen attending the class agreed that the new course was well organized in its presentation, many noting also in their after action review comments that the use of subject matter experts from civilian agencies helped enhance the training beyond what was taught in previous years.
“To be safe,” said Greg Hutchison, assistant state coordinator, Arkansas Baptist State Convention Disaster Relief, when asked what he wanted the Soldiers and Airmen to remember most from his class. “We want them to go home to their families.”
Next year’s course will also include more anecdotal experience from the liaison officers who can share their stories from the field, as well as other improvements based on the student surveys conducted this year.
"Student surveys reflected improved training effectiveness of the Academy with LNO Operations scoring a 4.57 out of 5.0 and Safety training coming in at a 4.76,” said Montgomery. “Next year’s focus will include improvements in training integration and content modernization and sustain SME instruction and demonstration.”
Guardsmen interested in attending next year’s training should contact their Training or Readiness NCO’s in June.
(Arkansas Army National Guard story by 1st Sgt. Jim Heuston)
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2025 14:00 |
| Story ID: | 546901 |
| Location: | NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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