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HINESVILLE, Ga. – U.S. Soldiers and Airmen with the Georgia National Guard conducted a joint medical readiness exercise at Fort Stewart, Aug. 9 through 10, 2026. The exercise is a collective training event between elements of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 201st Regional Support Group and the Georgia Air National Guard’s 116th Medical Group, Detachment 1 and the 165th Airlift Wing.
The exercise was spearheaded by the 201st RSG, with the GAANG units providing triage, communications and medical support. The field training simulated a radiological bomb attack in a downtown portion of a city, with the participating units practicing their capabilities as part of an annual training exercise.
“This is an extremely important mission”, said Lt. Col. Christopher Goddard, commander of the 265th CBRN Task Force and exercise commander. “Because this falls under ‘Defend the Homeland’, it is really important for interoperability between the Army Guard and the Air Guard and our civil support authority partners.”
According to Goddard, the National Guard has the capability to set up a staging area, triage and decontaminate casualties within 24 to 48 hours should a detonation like this occur in the real world. Since each branch has different operational methods, practice makes perfect when operating in a joint capability.
“We all have very different ways that we work,” said Master Sgt. Lindsey Raynor, hotzone noncommissioned officer in charge with the 116th Medical Group, Det 1. “It’s important for us to practice, so we can all figure out how we all work together and end up at the same point together.”
One of the 201st RSG’s missions is to man, train and equip a homeland response force to provide assistance to civil authorities in saving lives and mitigating human suffering in response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. As the HRF for Region IV, the 201st capabilities are designed to respond to emergencies in the eight states From Florida to North Carolina and west to Mississippi.
For some participants, this was their first time conducting this exercise with their units.
“I’m enjoying it,” said Private 1st Class Areyonia Green with the 1177th Transportation Company. “I’m getting to see different things and hopefully throughout the day I’ll get to learn more!”
“I’m learning something new every single day,” said Airman 1st Class James Rose, with the 165th Fatality Search and Rescue team. “It’s about getting more experience and being able to put it forward towards the next exercise that we do.”
“It’s important to understand that there is a plan in the event that one of these catastrophes should happen on the homeland,” said Goddard. “We’re always prepared to execute if America has its worst day.”
The Georgia National Guard is composed of nearly 14,000 personnel supporting overseas and domestic missions from nearly 70 readiness centers based in nearly 50 of Georgia counties. The Region IV HRF remains operational, capable and prepared to conduct chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response operations.
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2026 08:39 |
| Story ID: | 572146 |
| Location: | HINESVILLE, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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