By PORSHA AUZENNE
Public Affairs Office
FORT JOHNSON, La. — At a moment’s notice, Soldiers from the 519th Military Police Battalion were mobilized and deployed from Fort Johnson to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, July 7 to participate in a Level III Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise conducted by U.S. Forces Command.
The battalion deployed for the exercise in support of the U.S. Army North Joint Operations Area for Homeland Defense and critical site defense operations in the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility in the case of an emergency disaster or for contingency operations within the continental United States. As ongoing training, the U.S. Army activates select units with no notice as part of a rapid—deployment exercise designed to test and validate global response and readiness capabilities. EDREs also assess a unit’s home-station support procedures and pre-deployment activities to ensure the Army can rapidly reply to support America’s national security interests.
Units participating in this exercise came from Fort Drum, Fort Stewart, and Fort Liberty, including the 511th Military Police Company, 549th Military Police Company and the XVIII Airborne Corps.
“We received the orders from FORSCOM and immediately started doing evaluation to push information out to the affected unit,” said Matthew West, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson chief of current operations. “We also brought in the Crisis Action Team, a group of personnel ready to support the mission. It is important we try to leave the unit alone during this time to let them go through their sequence and get tasks done while we as the installation come together to help with whatever they need. We have our team on standby to assist with logistics and requests for information.”
From July 7—9, Soldiers from the battalion worked tirelessly in the sweltering Louisiana heat to pack and load equipment, supplies, and vehicles for deployment.
“With support from the 16th Military Police Brigade and Joint Readiness Training Center, the unit surpassed readiness expectations with its 48—hour rapid—deployment response force,” Maj. Aaron J. Keil, 519th Military Police Bn. acting commander, said. “Since assumption of this mission, the ‘Viper Nation’ (nickname for the 519th) has efficiently and diligently prepared to respond to the nation’s call.”
The EDRE is just one example of how the JRTC and Fort Johnson general staff, garrison, logistics readiness center and other agencies across the installation come together to support the Army mission.
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