Photo By Chief Warrant Officer Daniel McGowan | Navy hospital-medical Petty Officer 1st Class Antonio Thompson of the Expeditionary...... read more read more
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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - We are familiar with photos of squads responding to an improvised explosive device. Secure as required, stabilize casualties, and move out of the kill zone. But what happens when that device is a rocket or mortar? What happens if it is not a patrol and it is on an Army post that does not move? Members of 134th Brigade Support Battalion, from the Minnesota National Guard, face those questions every day to identify scenarios, make changes to prevent them, or train to react.
The exercise begins with a phone call to the Emergency Operations Center. Spc. Tracy White, from Morris, Minn., answers and gathers as much detail as possible. Sgt. 1st Class Christian Hudson, from Elk River, Minn., begins the notification list. The post-wide ‘Big Voice’ announcement system announces an indirect rocket attack. The EOC can borrow the description applied to combat; hours of boredom interspaced with moments of sheer terror. Exercises are designed to change terror into focused, effective actions.
Force protection exercises are a necessary part of Army life. The intricacies change when a unit becomes a Command Cell, responsible for everything from sanitation contracts to Force Protection. Calling in a 9-line MEDEVAC request takes on new meaning when the call and response are under the same command. Coordinating Army, Air Force, Navy and non-military contractors adds idiosyncrasies from each branch. The Army medic says the patient is a ‘B’. The Fire department asks if the patient is a Yellow or a Red. Communication issues are important but not the only reason for doing exercises.
When asked to summarize the intent of exercises, 1st Lt. Duane Kimball replied, “Muscle memory, just like fire drills in Kindergarten.” He describes how people don’t panic when they recognize a situation and have a ready response. He further described that we may have the concept of what needs to be done, but that is different from actually being able to perform the task in an intense, high stress situation.
First Lt. Michael Buchan, 26 from St Paul, Minn, is the Force Protection Officer for 134 Brigade Support Battalion. He wants to increase the complexity and detail of future exercises. “We are coordinating with Emergency Management so they can incorporate more of their procedures into the training.” It becomes a test of Spy vs. Spy as one medic writes a scenario to see if the other medics are following the correct processes.
Each functional area in a response has to remain proficient in their area. Force protection plans and exercises are modular, flexible, and scale to the actual need. Every scenario is different and there is often not a ‘best’ solution. Incident commanders have to know their resource capabilities and be comfortable with the response process.
It is difficult to be surprised when ‘the call’ comes in to the EOC. Maj. Bruce Kelii, from Bloomington, Minn., just happens to be in the area with a notepad and pen. The element of surprise is lost but exercise still goes as planned. Well, mostly as planned. The post-wide announcement system begins its monthly test half way through the exercise clearly announcing a direct attack. Two medics on their way home for R&R show up at the Troop Medical Clinic to help. Gen. Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2011 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 77687 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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