NCNG unit trains for state emergencies

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan | The training scenario tests the soldiers’ ability to use nonlethal force to disperse a crowd of aggressors from a water plant. This training prepares the soldiers to support state and local first responders and county emergency management agencies. The RRF is a quick reaction team that, on order, is deployable anywhere in North Carolina within 24 to 36 hours of a critical event. In times of crisis, the RRF may be ordered by the president of the United States or the governor of North Carolina in order to augment federal or state authorities in response to actions such as a known terrorist attack, civil unrest or a natural and/or man-made disaster.  

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

06.19.2013

Story by Maj. Matthew Devivo 

North Carolina National Guard

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Amid the heat and congestion of downtown Charlotte in June, North Carolina National Guard soldiers prepared for the arduous task of supporting the citizens of our state.

The soldiers of the 252nd Combined Arms Battalion stood shoulder-to-shoulder in full riot gear while role-playing protestors harassed them and civilian on-lookers, heading to and from work, got an unexpected look at the capabilities of the N.C. National Guard.

Soldiers from the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team conducted Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) Training here, June 10-14. The training was part of their higher headquarters’ annual training and was designed to prepare the unit to respond to emergencies within the state.

Supporting state and local agencies during emergencies is one of the primary roles of the NCNG.

This year, the soldiers of the 252nd Combined Arms Battalion (CAB) completed the RRF training in the state’s largest city on the heels of finishing their war fighting mission at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The unit began its annual training at Fort Bragg, executing gunnery tables with their primary weapons systems: the M1 Abrams battle tank and the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The soldiers also honed their skills as combat soldiers and qualified on their basic warrior tasks.

Once their qualifications were complete they loaded up and assumed a domestic support mission in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.

“The RRF training was unique for us in several different ways,” said Lt. Col. Robert H. Bumgardner, 252nd CAB commander. “The most unique part of the RRF training is that it highlighted the core of the National Guard. Being able to ask a soldier to defend against an enemy abroad one week and then asking them to protect the citizens of the state the next week is a huge accomplishment.”

The training highlighted the dynamic shift that National Guard soldiers must be able to execute at a moment’s notice.

“Another huge part of this training was the partnerships we were able exercise,” Bumgardner said. “We were able to work with our state partners in the law enforcement and emergency responder communities as well as other National Guard units.”

The 449th Theater Aviation Brigade provided UH-60 Black Hawks to train on air mobility operations used to insert and extract RRF personnel efficiently and effectively into problem areas.

Bumgardner added the air mobility training was a unique experience for his soldiers by providing a ready and reliable asset to get our Guardsmen into critical locations where they are needed.

“This was a demanding training event for all of our soldiers,” Bumgardner said. “It is a testament to the caliber of citizen-soldiers we have in the North Carolina National Guard and in the 30th ABCT.”

• Date Taken: 06.19.2013
• Date Posted: 06.20.2013 20:16
• Story ID: 108993
• Location: CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, US