National Guard members join forces in disaster response exercise

EDINBURGH, Ind. - What would happen to the social order if a massive flood left people in an Indiana community stranded in their homes? What if an earthquake were to decimate the infrastructure of a city in California, or if a hurricane demolished a small town on the East Coast? It may be difficult to fathom, but how would the nation's population react if the unthinkable happened and a major U.S. city became the target of a nuclear attack?

A fundamental duty of the Army National Guard is standing ready to respond to catastrophic scenarios such as these. Every year, Indiana's 81st Troop Command trains alongside other emergency service specialists to ensure they are prepared to answer the call for all citizens of the United States, no matter what state they live in.

81st Troop Command forces are trained to work overseas or on the home front, including disaster situations that occur outside of Indiana. If a large-scale emergency overwhelms the first responders of another state, the Indiana National Guard must stand ready to answer the call.

For Guardian Response 17, 81st Troop Command collaborated with disaster response specialists from across the nation May 6-13 for Guardian Response 2017. The annual exercise is a multinational, multi-organizational training exercise focused on preparing troops to efficiently respond to an international or domestic catastrophe.

The 81st War Eagles worked out of a Joint Operations Center at Camp Atterbury to support an assembly of emergency response forces from across the nation. Troops in the field conducted 24-hour search and rescue exercises at Muscatatuck Urban Training Facility.

"They're training to be able to respond immediately to any kind of event that requires some kind of decontamination," said Command Sgt. Maj. Dale Shetler of 81st Troop Command.

While live training exercises took place in Muscatatuck, the organization of the action for Guardian Response occurred behind the scenes.

"We're doing a lot of 24-hour JOC operations this year," Shetler said. "It's not always a lot of field training, so that will be different for some of our Soldiers. But it's also a big part of their jobs, just like picking up their weapon and marching through the woods, so it's good training."

This training event allows Indiana National Guard units to develop their capabilities and improve their overall readiness, said Brig. Gen. David N. Vesper. It is advantageous to work alongside other organizations with a substantial number of experts in emergency response procedures.

"We get to liaise and work directly with a variety of agencies," Vesper said. "We work with Title 10, the federal Army. We work with FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and FAA, and it allows us to understand their capabilities and limitations so we can work more effectively."

National Guard forces from multiple states prepare troops to coordinate operational strategies with civilian agencies in the event that the Soldiers are required to deploy to a different state.

"For 81st Troop Command, our value is in commanding and controlling a response to a large national incident," Vesper said. "It is a fortunate fact that Indiana is-from a natural hazards point of view-one of the safest states in the nation. So should there be a large-scale national disaster, it is likely that Indiana likely will go assist other states."

"It's really an insurance policy for the people of the U.S," he added.

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