Joint Enabling Capabilities Command Joint Public Affairs Support Element are part of relief efforts to combat Ebola

Photo By Whitney Katz | The Joint Public Affairs Support Element team is staffed and equipped to establish and manage a Media Operations Center and coordinate media activity within the region, as well as produce and distribute media products, in regards to U.S. forces’ activities.  

MONROVIA, LIBERIA

10.20.2014

Courtesy Story

Joint Planning Support Element - Public Affairs

MONROVIA, Liberia – As the morning sun slices through rain clouds over the coast of western Africa, members of the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command’s (JECC) Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE) are preparing for another busy day.

The members arrived in country on Oct. 5, in support of U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) and U.S. Army Forces Africa’s (USARAF) efforts to combat the Ebola virus disease (EVD).

The USARAF forces are deployed as part of the Department of Defense support to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in West Africa. By providing logistics expertise, training and engineering support, USARAF forces assist in the overall U.S. government foreign humanitarian assistance/disaster relief effort, as part of the international assistance effort, supporting the government of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

JPASE members are a vital part of this effort providing vast experience and capabilities needed to provide thorough, timely and accurate information to the citizens of Liberia, America and the international audience regarding the USAFRICOM/USARAF response as part of a United States whole of government response.

“There is a great deal of media interest in the U.S. efforts here,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Indovina, JPASE team leader and Media Operations Center director. “We are working closely with the U.S. Embassy, USAID, and the many other organizations involved in the response to get an accurate story out about the progress the U.S. military and the U.S. whole of government approach is making in relief efforts to contain EVD.”

The JPASE team is staffed and equipped to establish and manage a Media Operations Center (MOC) and coordinate media activity within the region, as well as produce and distribute media products, regarding U.S. forces’ activities. These include the construction, supply and management of a 25-bed hospital to treat workers who provide healthcare to EVD patients, construction of Ebola treatment units (ETUs) and mobile labs to process blood samples to determine EVD infection in patients.

JPASE is deployed as a part of a 60 member team from the JECC, comprised of active, Reserve, Guard and government civilians, providing comprehensive joint communications, planning and public affairs expertise to USAFRICOM, USARAF and the Joint Force Command Headquarters in support of Operation United Assistance. This effort fits well into the JECC mission set of providing mission-tailored, joint capability packages to combatant commanders in order to facilitate rapid establishment of joint force headquarters, fulfill Global Response Force execution and bridge joint operational requirements.

• Date Taken: 10.20.2014
• Date Posted: 11.19.2014 13:25
• Story ID: 148271
• Location: MONROVIA, LR