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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. - As missions come to a close in Iraq and Afghanistan, Soldiers from the 202nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 201st Regional Support Group, are focusing on stateside missions as they support the citizens of Georgia.
Those missions, which will be done in conjunction with local and state agencies, were the focus of a weeklong Ravens Challenge at Redstone Arsenal between June 27 and July 2, giving Soldiers from the unit an opportunity to experience interoperability operations.
“The main thing we’re getting out of this exercise is the interoperability with the other agencies,” said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Manning, 202nd EOD team leader. “Working with the other state and federal agencies has been invaluable.”
With more than 1,000 participants nationwide, the Ravens Challenge had three other locations participating, including Seattle, Phoenix and Washington, building real-world scenarios for those involved.
“We’ve seen a lot of things come stateside that we only used to see overseas,” said Randy Walters, range controller. “This exercise is to get the teams to use their problem-solving skills and work together. When it comes to a scenario in the U.S., they are not going to have time to work out the kinks. They are going to have to know how to work with other agencies and that is what this exercise does.”
The six-day exercise saw the unit go through various scenarios, including residential searches, vehicle searches, post-blast and evidence collection. These scenarios saw the use of robotics, bomb suits and the occasional explosive charge. It was something Sgt. Casie Hood said was a unique experience.
“It’s interesting to see how other agencies work, and see the different rules and guidelines they have,” she said. “Our unit has definitely benefited from this experience.”
Throughout the exercise, interoperability was the key word and it is something that the 201st Regional Support Group commander, Col. Vernon Atkinson, echoed.
“It’s important for us to build those relationships,” Atkinson said. “Our Soldiers are learning about civilian explosives and they’re learning about our explosives. We’ll never be the lead agency in a problem, but we will be there as a backup element to support those agencies. This exercise will only increase our confidence in performing missions.”
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2014 18:22 |
| Story ID: | 135289 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 164 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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