DES MOINES, Iowa- The Army Reserve became more relevant to the state of Iowa since the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012.
Section 12304a of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizes the Secretary of Defense to order Reserve Component forces to active duty in response to a state governor’s request for federal assistance in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.
In response to that, the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted a capabilities brief on March 6 in order to give attendees an overview of Army Reserve soldiers, units, locations and capabilities available to them in the event the National Guard identifies a need for additional assistance.
Attendees included Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds; Mark Schouten, Administrator, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management; Brig. Gen. Jonathan Ives, Deputy Commanding General, 377th Theater Sustainment Command, Belle Chasse, La.; Col. Steve Altman, the Deputy Commanding General-Maneuver, Iowa National Guard; Dianne Wilson, Senior Operations Specialist, FEMA Region VII; Col. Edward Manning, Defense Coordinating Officer, Defense Coordinating Element Region VII; and Col. David Elwell, Deputy Commanding Officer, 103rd ESC.
The 103rd ESC used the event to open a dialog and build a partnership with the event attendees. “It is imperative that we conduct the visit sooner rather than later because, as Hurricane Sandy recently demonstrated, a disaster or emergency can occur anywhere and at anytime,” said Brig. Gen. Arlan DeBlieck, Commanding General, 103rd ESC.
The 103rd ESC oversees logistics units across a five-state region. Some of the units have equipment such as water purification systems, fuel supply systems and cargo trucks. Those resources could aid states in a time of a crisis.
The event included a discussion about roles, responsibilities, and procedures that are in place should the state of Iowa need help from federal Reserve Component forces.
"I appreciated the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the Army Reserve and the capabilities they have in Iowa. The event generated a good discussion between the state of Iowa, FEMA, the Iowa National Guard and the Army Reserve,” said Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds.
Date Taken: | 03.14.2013 |
Date Posted: | 03.15.2013 01:37 |
Story ID: | 103509 |
Location: | DES MOINES, IOWA, US |
Web Views: | 249 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Iowa Lieutenant Governor visits the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)- Unit showcases the Army Reserve, by LTC Monica Radtke, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.