FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Aug. 11, 2016) -- Soldiers and aviators of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade and 10th Combat Aviation Brigade provided defense support of civil authorities, or DSCA, during Operation Vigilant Guard 16, held July 24 to Aug. 4 at Camp Ethan Allen, Jericho, Vt.
The exercise coordinated the response of joint, interagency and multinational forces from state and local governments, federal agencies, Army and Air National Guard elements from 12 states, U.S. Northern Command, and the nations of Canada, Macedonia and Senegal who reacted to simulated natural disasters and catastrophic events throughout the state of Vermont.
The exercise also provided valuable insight to the Army's seldom performed role of DSCA operations as well as a unique training environment for the Fort Drum units involved.
Capitalizing on this unique training experience were logisticians assigned to 110th Composite Truck Company, 548th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, who provided vital movement capabilities to the joint, interagency and multinational response elements as they moved between training sites.
"We were a support package for first responders to incident areas," said 1st Lt. Jebediah Toller, officer in charge, company headquarters, 110th CTC. "We delivered over 9,000 gallons of water in support of (simulated) decontamination operations and transported emergency responders from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the Massachusetts HRF / CERFP (Homeland Response Force / Chemical Biological, Radiation, Nuclear, High-Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package) to incident areas at Camp Ethan Allen, Vt., and Camp Johnson, Vt."
Toller also described the event as an opportunity to develop junior Soldiers' leadership skills by assigning them to positions of greater responsibility.
"One of our goals out here was to get these junior NCOs involved in more responsibility type tasks," he said. "Taking over as the convoy commander, briefing orders, sand tables, routes, things of that nature. We definitely wanted to get them implemented so they could get good training value out of this exercise."
After the exercise, Toller emphasized how planning and preparation led to mission success for his organization.
"(Before arriving in Vermont), we were to conduct a level II and level III EDRE (emergency deployment readiness exercise) and we were to be mobile within 24 hours and deploy to Vermont within 72 hours," Toller said. "Part of Mountain 6's training guidance is to be ready … and so with that comes the training and the execution part of being prepared -- not only equipment but personnel wise too. Everything is about being ready to deploy within 24 and 72 hours, and we really strive during our training to accomplish that."
In total, the 110th CTC executed more than 20 missions during the exercise, but support assets were not limited to movement on the ground.
Aviation assets from the 2nd Battalion "Knighthawks," and 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion "Phoenix," 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, provided crucial lift and movement capabilities in support of the exercise.
The four UH-60L/M Black Hawk helicopters conducted 15 operations to include moving search and rescue personnel and emergency responders to incident areas inaccessible by road traffic.
In addition to the support provided by the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade and 10th Sustainment Brigade, "Commandos" of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team filled crucial staff officer vacancies with their partner brigade, the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), to support the Vermont National Guard's operations.
One critical staff member was Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Anne Stafford, CBRNE NCOIC, 2nd BCT, who supported the processing of personnel during JRSOI (Joint Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration) operations; planning of missions responding to a wide array of simulated crises to include seven radiological incidents, three chemical spills, one biological incident of the pneumonic plague and a chemical incident involving anthrax; and helping to establish the 86th IBCT's protection cell.
The event not only allowed Stafford to exercise her professional duties, but it also gave her an opportunity to learn skills that carry into her volunteer work.
"As one of two people who are certified incident commanders for a unified command on the Town of Lyme's Emergency Management Team, this training was invaluable to me," Stafford said. "I learned how diverse the agencies could be that respond to a disaster and how they work together both legally and professionally."
As Stafford mentioned, strict procedures must be followed before a federal force like the 10th Mountain Division (LI) can legally support civil authorities. Federal forces can only assist when a state governor formally requests the president to provide aid during a time of emergency.
Should the president deem the use of federal forces necessary, the secretary of defense is ordered to assign a specific organization for a specific period of time to support the request under the command of a dual-status commander (commander of both federal and state forces). This legal process is due to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which limits the federal government from using federal military personnel to enforce domestic policies.
Notable instances of using federal forces within the homeland since the enactment of the Posse Comitatus Act include President Eisenhower and President Kennedy deploying forces to quell riots and enforce desegregation laws in the 1950s and 1960s, President George H.W. Bush ordering Marines and Soldiers in 1992 to assist local law enforcement in restoring order during the Los Angeles riots, and most recently in response to the destructive aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Irene and Sandy.
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