STARKE, Fla. - The 53rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion practiced their Defense Support of Civil Authorities or DSCA skills at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center over the weekend. DSCA is when National Guard assets and personnel are used to aid in missions usually carried out by civil authorities.
"The intent of the day is to have them actually run through the exercise of displaced citizens instead of just doing classroom training," said Maj. Daniel Brown the Battalion Operations Officer.
In this scenario, Hurricane Betsy struck the town of Middleburg and displaced residents who converged on a centralized point for emergency supplies of food and water. Over 270 military police, engineers, and signal Soldiers participated in this exercise with scenarios that included belligerent and displaced citizens, missing pets and domestic disputes.
"We are all citizens too. We're citizen Soldiers and come from all over the state of Florida," said 1st Lt. Joseph Rebels, an engineer with Alpha Company. "Anywhere we respond, we are one of them. We just want to make sure they know we're here to maintain order and help."
This event was only the second drill weekend for Pvt. Lenise Crawford who wrapped up her initial training in May of this year. According to her, the most exciting part was learning that it's not all about combat situations, but also working with civilians and keeping everybody on the home front safe.
The signal Soldiers provided the Regional Emergency Response Network or RERN, which is communications technology that responders can use to communicate among multiple agencies. The system is a mobile network vehicle that enhances communications abilities by providing cell phone and wi-fi service during a natural disaster. It also gives citizens the ability to contact their families so they can let their loved ones know they are safe.
"I want my Soldiers to get used to different situations and surroundings. Sometimes people are going to come through the checkpoint mad or upset," said Sgt. Jonathan Lopez, a military policeman with the battalion. "I want them to sharpen their interpersonal skills, that's the one thing that we can do. We can de-escalate the situation by talking to them and walking in their shoes to understand the situation."
According to the battalion's leadership, the units executed the DSCA training in an outstanding manner and demonstrated that Soldiers have the skills and knowledge to successfully carry out their mission.
"As demonstrated by this exercise the 53rd BSTB is prepared to assist the state of Florida in the event of a hurricane emergency," said Capt. William Wiseman, the Battalion Administrative Officer.
Social Sharing