The U.S. Army Human Resources Command conducted a Continuity of Operations Exercise Sept. 1-3. The exercise is designed to validate HRC’s ability to relocate personnel, establish operations at an alternate worksite, and continue mission-essential functions during an emergency or other event that make its primary facilities unavailable.
“The COOPEX validates processes involved with a real continuity of operations event to make sure we can continue our mission under any situation,” said Shawn Tully, HRC force protection officer. “Some examples would include after a natural disaster or during weather-related problems.”
HRC has conducted similar continuity exercises numerous times over the past decade. The current exercise used deliberate challenges to test the organization’s ability to respond effectively.
“The challenges we inject now allow our team to be ready to tackle any known or unknown threats which we might encounter,” Tully said. “The next phase would involve expanding what we are practicing during this event, with increased displacement across multiple sites.”
Preparation for each scenario begins before the execution of the exercise.
“Before the event I ensure we have identified critical tasks, personnel who support them, and what IT systems are required to run them,” Tully said. “I ensure all the preliminary steps are completed so we can ‘simply’ report to a site and resume our mission-essential functions.”
For Dr. Kevin Sneed, operations officer for HRC’s Enterprise Modernization Directorate, the exercise provided an opportunity to practice responding to a scenario where normal workflow is disrupted. Sneed served as a role player during the exercise, participating as though HRC’s primary facility had become unavailable.
“I was able to arrive, connect, and achieve full mission readiness within minutes,” he said. “This seamless transition required substantial preparation by multiple offices within HRC, involving hours, days, or even months of coordinated effort.”
Sneed emphasized the benefits of the exercise, citing the importance of connecting with different individuals across the command.
“[I found it valuable] to interact with both new and familiar personnel, individuals with whom I would not normally engage with in the multi-level HRC complex.”
The exercise also provided an opportunity to identify problems that could affect operations during an actual emergency. Identifying those types of challenges is an important part of the training.
“The most challenging part is the part behind the scenes involving having all the data correct before we even test our capabilities,” Tully said.
The COOPEX directly supports broader Army readiness requirements. Continuity of operations is mandated by the Department of the Army and Department of War to ensure essential missions can continue during national or local emergencies.
For HRC, that capability is particularly important because disruptions to the organization can affect the personnel services Soldiers and their Families rely on.
“Regular participation in COOP exercises is essential for HRC to sustain readiness and prevent operational complacency across the workforce,” Sneed said. “HRC must continually reinforce the institutional muscle memory and organizational agility required to respond effectively to emerging threats, facility disruptions, or crises.”
Recurring exercises like the COOPEX reinforce HRC’s commitment to ensuring the Army’s personnel enterprise can remain responsive, adaptable and always ready to support Soldiers and Families through any challenge.
“I hope that this event provides confidence to the HRC workforce that there are courses of action determined and resources identified to assist them with accomplishing their critical missions while supporting the Army’s mission,” Tully said.
| Date Taken: |
09.16.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
09.16.2026 11:27 |
| Story ID: |
574862 |
| Location: |
FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
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22 |
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This work, HRC Conducts Continuity of Operations Exercise to Strengthen Readiness, by Erin Sherwood, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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