KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - The 221st Public Affairs Detachment supported the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz during Warrior Response 17 on June 24th at Rhine Ordinance Barracks.
Support to the USAG Rheinland-Pfalz's public affairs team during this annual training exercise included providing media role-players and supporting the garrison Public Affairs Officer with internal and external communication.
"When a crisis occurs, it's too late to start the communication and coordination process across different organizations for seamless information flow," said Stefan Alford, Director of Public Affairs at USAG Rheinland-Pfalz. "Working together during exercise events such as [WR17] establishes and builds the working relationships necessary to provide a synchronized response and collectively reach out to our military community with timely and accurate information."
The exercise's scenario tested USAG Rheinland-Pfalz's ability to respond to an active shooter incident with military and host nation first responders. An Emergency Operations Center was stood up at ROB to coordinate efforts, military police subdued the attackers, and patients were triaged with transport to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and local host nation hospitals.
Media role-players from the 221st PAD tested the ability of the EOC to respond in this situation. Providing public information quickly and accurately during times of crisis helps ensure credibility and public trust.
The augment to the garrison public affairs director wrote an opening statement, assisted with preparing a press conference, and received media queries.
The 221st PAD supports the 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, U.S. Army's first Europe based Civil Affairs unit, providing print, broadcast, and imagery across Europe.
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