FT. LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS - Operations Groups Alpha and Foxtrot observer/trainers conducted a command post exercise (CPX) from Aug. 15 to 20 at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.
The operations groups are part of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center-Training's Battle Command Training Program (BCTP), which is the Army's only worldwide deployable combat training center.
The CPX assisted Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS) to prepare for its mission of supporting the lead federal agency (typically Federal Emergency Management Agency-FEMA) in managing the consequences of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) incident in the United States or its territories and possessions. The mission of the JTF-CS is to save lives, prevent injury and provide temporary critical life support in catastrophic incidents.
The CPX titled, Vibrant Response, challenged the task force's leaders to exercise response capability in a role as the nation's federal military CBRNE response force. The exercise helped assure readiness by ensuring that units - regardless of service, component or state - are interoperable, speak the same language and are able to operate as regional CBRNE responders.
The CPX employed the Fort Leavenworth's Battle Command Training Center facility with its expansive work space and communication support designed for multiple brigade and task force headquarters staff and exercise support staff. Alpha and Foxtrot Operations Groups were utilized as observer/trainers for the exercise. BCTP has a direct link to senior Army leadership and is able to quickly adapt to meet the requirements of training and developing units and leaders as they prepare for contingency operations, like the CCMRF mission.
BCTP partnered with United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) in conducting the CPX. The exercise focused on the myriad of challenges the task force will encounter in a challenging CBRNE incident in the United States.
BCTP assists the Chief of Staff of the Army in fulfilling his obligation to provide trained and ready units to win decisively on the modern battlefield as well as to conduct contingency operations and successfully deal with CBRNE catastrophic incidents.
The exercise assisted Brig. Gen. Jonathan A. Treacy, the JTF-CS commanding general, and his staff in preparing for the command and control of Department of Defense (DoD) forces deployed to manage the consequences of a CBRNE incident.
During the CPX, JTF-CS dealt with a scenario that included the substantial assistance demands and requests from federal and state authorities participating in the exercise. These requests were for medical support, transportation of critically injured or ill citizens, or logistical support that utilized the military's special skills and structures.
Cpt. Dustin Hart, an Air Force public affairs officer who assisted BCTP as an augmentee observer/trainer for the exercise, said, "Working as an augmentee for BCTP allowed me to add my experiences as a public affairs officer. This functional experience combined with my work for NORTHCOM helped me to provide the training audience with a comprehensive review of both its operational and strategic processes. Hart's recent real world experience as a public affairs officer at the Gulf of Mexico oil spill allowed him to teach and mentor at the exercise effectively.
Based at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., the U.S. Army's Combined Arms Center-Training delivers training programs, products and services to leaders and units in support of Army readiness. Wherever Army training occurs, the Combined Arms Center-Training helps make it happen. To learn more about the Combined Arms Center-Training, visit www.leavenworth.army.mil, www.facebook.com/usacactraining or www.twitter.com/usacactraining.
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