GRAFENWOEHR, Germany (Oct. 23, 2015) -- The 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach and U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria conducted a combined Force Protection and Emergency Management Full Scale Exercise Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 20-22, 2015 at both locations.
Brig. Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the commander of the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command and the U.S. general officer for force protection of Bavaria, directed the exercise.
The intent of this exercise was to have a fully trained and synchronized garrison and host nation first response staff capable of effectively reacting to a likely natural or manmade hazard. It is also structured to meet annual antiterrorism and emergency management assessment requirements.
"This exercise is unique because it included two separate Army garrisons in Europe," said Lt. Col. Brian Carlin, the 7th Army JMTC's public affairs officer. "Those garrisons, USAG Ansbach and USAG Bavaria, fall under the force protection authority of Brigadier General Cavoli, which forces JMTC to coordinate the management and response efforts."
At Ansbach, two vehicle-borne explosions were simulated at Katterbach Kaserne. In Grafenwoehr, there was an active-shooter simulation near Camp Aachen. German and U.S. first responders, fire departments, police departments and other emergency response personnel at each base responded to the incident sites and worked in close cooperation to put their training to the test.
"These types of exercises are extremely beneficial to all of our emergency services - we (U.S. and Host Nation first responders) are mutually supportive of each other and these scenarios highlight the professionalism and camaraderie our first responders display every day," said Col. Christopher M. Benson, commander, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach. "Given the current world environment, it's imperative that we continue to cultivate these bonds and our relationships with our Host Nation partners."
Exercises like these allow the practice of using every resource available to prepare for a real-world situation. Various units and on-post agencies assisted during the exercise, including 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 66th Military Intelligence Company, and Criminal Investigation Command as well as Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Public Affairs and Army Community Service.
"We want to validate what we assume to be correct plans and learn from the mistakes we make," said Tom Janis, the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria emergency manager. "Every scenario presents different challenges that test our plans. Then we make changes as needed to eliminate any invalid assumptions."
"We take the safety and security of our Soldiers, Families, civilians and local nationals very seriously, and the exercise and refinement of these force protection measures helps us deter situations like these from happening and react effectively if they do," said Col. William Lindner, the 7th Army JMTC chief of staff.
The Joint Multinational Simulations Center provided the scenario and injects in the form of intelligence updates, media queries and more. The Red Cross provided volunteers who pretended to be victims of the attacks. The Combined Arms Training Center provided Multiple Amputation Trauma Trainers, which are life-like mannequins that simulate wounded casualties. The 702d Explosives Ordnance Disposal company provided pyrotechnics which added realism to the events. There were also real overturned cars for the first responders to deal with.
During this exercise force protection measures were increased at the gates and heightened security measures were implemented at on-post offices and shops.
The exercise concluded with a press conference at the JMTC headquarters.
"It is always important keep the community aware through local media outlets such as American Forces Network, the AtHoc system and established social media sites," Carlin added.
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