Photo By Staff Sgt. Kelsey Blankenship | Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Winzenried, the U.S. Northern Command senior noncommissioned...... read more read more
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The National Guard and active-duty military came together Aug. 25 through Sept. 7 to support civilian law-enforcement agencies as a joint task force during the Democratic National Convention, a national special-security event held Sept. 3-6 in Charlotte, N.C.
The National Guard was used as a back-up element for use in case of a natural or man-made disaster where civilian authorities would not have the manpower or resources to handle the situation alone.
“Our primary focus is to provide defense support to civilian authorities. It is unique because in most military missions you are given the mission; you have complete responsibility for that mission and you act fairly autonomous and unilateral,” said Maj. Gen. James Trogdon, the Joint Task Force–Panther commander with authority over the operation’s National Guard and active-duty elements. “In this case, we’re supporting civil authorities and the civil authorities have complete control over this national special-security event. We only provide direct support to things they request. We are not the focus of the event.”
Having the various government agencies working together provided a safe and secure environment throughout the operation; they also built lasting relationships and knowledge of the layers of law enforcement involved in a large, high-profile event.
“The success of the mission really comes from the partnerships. With the 50 agencies from all levels of government that are represented over in the [multi-agency communications center], you’ll see the kind of relationships that are being built,” Trogdon said. “You are able to see things from the other agencies’ perspectives … It really facilitates the interagency, intergovernmental process.”
The soldiers standing guard on the streets were not only protecting the citizens of Charlotte and citizens participating in the democratic process, but allowing civilian authorities to rest assured knowing that the soldiers, armed with their discipline, professionalism and military bearing, were around Charlotte keeping a sharp eye on the event’s security.
“[More than 1,100] police officers and highway patrolmen can sleep at night knowing that their cars and themselves are protected while I have guys standing outside the door … When [the police officers] come in, they crash and they thank us constantly,” said Lt. Col Jerry E. Baird Jr., the task force commander for the operation’s security force, and battalion commander for the North Carolina National Guard’s 105th Military Police Battalion. “They know they don’t have to worry about anything. They sleep, then they get up and go do their mission.”
Along with the military police soldiers manning the streets of Charlotte, in the background were more soldiers prepared to be called upon should the local or federal authorities need them.
“We have worked closely over the last 12 months with the city of Charlotte and all of their agencies. We are responding to their requests by providing explosive-ordnance detection capabilities and explosive-search dog teams to the Secret Service and the Charlotte [Police Department],” Trogdon said. “We are also providing task-force security, which is comprised primarily of Military Police units that will provide fixed-site security to critical infrastructure in and around Charlotte … We also provided task-force aviation, which is aviation assets in support of this headquarters as well as aviation assets in support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We also have task-force CBRN, which is our capability to respond to a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear event. Then we also have task-force civil-disturbance operations, which is one for contingencies in case crowds get very large and break laws and the police would need assistance in that area,” he said.
The week prior to the Democratic National Convention, soldiers from across the southeastern United States gathered in North Carolina for the state-wide Vigilant Guard training exercise, which brought the task forces together to train in worst-case scenarios that would require significant military assistance if they were to occur during the Democratic National Convention, such as pepper-spray use, riot control and responding to a chemical attack.
“[Vigilant Guard is] a national-level exercise that provides more resourcing to be able to get more personnel involved, more states, more capabilities and it gives you venues like Fort Bragg’s combat city,” said Col. Michael Scholes, commander of the 79th Homeland Response Force, part of the Georgia National Guard. “It gives you things that really put you in a three-dimensional type of operating environment, instead of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional where you focus on maybe a situational training exercise. This is more like a combat-readiness training center.”
With all of the training the soldiers did during Vigilant Guard and the wait of possibly being called upon during the Democratic National Convention, the soldiers knew they were involved in a small piece of history that they would never forget.
“We are supporting the processes of a freely elected government. This process is required by the 12th amendment to the Constitution,” Trogdon said. “Without it, would we have a functioning government? … Our job is to support those authorities, particularly Charlotte in this case, to make sure that those wonderful processes of a democratic government endure.”
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2012 11:47 |
| Story ID: | 94506 |
| Location: | CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 136 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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