Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris | The Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command, headquartered at the Maj. John P....... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – When Superstorm Sandy tore a 1,000-mile-wide path of destruction along the United States’ eastern seaboard in October 2012, the Army Reserve was there to help the local communities in which its Soldiers live and serve.
One of the key players in the Army Reserve’s response to Sandy was the 99th Regional Support Command, headquartered at the Maj. John P. Pryor Army Reserve Center here. The 99th RSC utilized its unique logistics and facilities capabilities to assist fellow Army Reserve responders, as well as hard-hit communities in New York City.
This past month, the 99th RSC took the next step in solidifying its future role in providing Defense Support of Civil Authorities by hosting Operation Checkmate, a four-day staff exercise simulating a hurricane strike against Army Reserve assets at Fort Totten in Queens, New York.
The STAFFEX was planned by the 99th RSC in cooperation with representatives from the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s Homeland Operations Division, the 75th Training Command’s Atlantic Division, U.S. Army North, the JB MDL Office of Emergency Management, and Civil/Military Projects Officers from FEMA Regions I-III, among others.
“Take what we’re doing as practice for an upcoming event – we just don’t know where or when it’s going to happen,” said Maj. Gen. Margaret W. Boor, 99th RSC commanding general, to the command’s Soldiers and civilian employees participating in the exercise. “You have an opportunity to educate and inform on what RSCs do, and the capabilities and nuances of an RSC, which are different than the majority of our Army Reserve units out there.”
The 99th RSC’s mission is to provide facilities, programs and services to Soldiers, Civilians and their Families in the Northeast Region, to support Army readiness, to sustain the All-Volunteer Force, and to ensure infrastructure for current and future mission requirements.
What this means for Army Reserve unit commanders throughout the 99th’s 13-state region is that the command can provide specialized services such as vehicle maintenance at 26 Area Maintenance Support Activities, equipment storage and maintenance at nine Equipment Concentration Sites, administrative support at 14 Regional Personnel Action Center hubs and satellite offices, and training support at more than 250 Reserve Centers.
In October 2012, the 99th RSC’s unique capabilities proved invaluable as part of the Army Reserve’s historic response to Superstorm Sandy.
Earlier that year, the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the Army Reserve to provide disaster relief and emergency management in support of civil authorities, presenting a significant opportunity for the Army Reserve to meet the needs of local communities during times of need.
In Sandy’s wake, this new authority was exercised as the 401st, 410th and 431st Quartermaster Teams processed through Joint Base MDL to become the first-ever Army Reserve units to be activated in response to a domestic natural disaster under the 2012 NDAA.
Supporting this historic effort was the 99th RSC, providing the quartermaster units with mission-essential items such as waste-water pumps and strainers, military vehicles, tents, heaters, generators, cold- and wet-weather gear, and rations.
Additionally, the 99th RSC re-opened its shuttered Army Reserve Center at Fort Tilden in Breezy Point, New York, to provide a focal point for federal, state and local relief efforts after that town was devastated by Sandy and a subsequent fire that destroyed more than 300 homes in the seaside community.
The 99th RSC helped break new ground during its response to Sandy; it did so again with this past month’s STAFFEX.
“We are the first major command in the Army Reserve that has actually developed a (DSCA) exercise,” said Boor. “We need to make sure that we develop Tactics, Techniques, Standard Operating Procedures and checklists – all those things that represent a continuity file.”
Leading the charge for the 99th RSC was Bob MacKenzie of the command’s Directorate of Emergency Services, who was largely responsible for coordinating with and bringing together representatives from the organizations listed above.
“After Hurricane Sandy, I had been working toward establishing a relationship with USARC to formalize what came out of Sandy,” MacKenzie said. “That developed into the OPLAN 500.”
USARC’s OPLAN 500 provided the framework and guidelines for the Army Reserve’s participation in a DSCA mission, which was then codified in USARC’s OPERATION ORDER 15-060 to better define how the Army Reserve could support DSCA in order to save human lives, prevent human suffering and mitigate great property loss.
“I created a working group with the FEMA regions, with Joint Base Office of Emergency Management and the Civil/Military Project Officers – before you knew it, with had a little nucleus of what could be the architecture to create this STAFFEX,” MacKenzie said.
USARC’s Homeland Operation Division provided initial DSCA orientation to the 99th staff and suggested a DSCA training model based on a mix of academic sessions and practical exercise. They also took part in the planning/coordination sessions for the 99th STAFFEX and provided some assistance in developing the scenario.
Also of note was the participation of several Army Reserve Civil/Military Project Officers. CMPOs provide units a direct point of contact for all things DSCA related and are a dedicated resource for units. They serve as coordinators and subject matter expert for all DSCA response operations in the assigned area of responsibility.
“USARC had a Crisis Action Team Exercise scheduled at the same time (as the 99th STAFFEX) with the purpose to develop continuity books for the staff,” said Bob Stabb, an emergency management specialist with USARC’s Homeland Operations Division. “Synching the two exercises allowed for a staff exchange of information replicating what is expected during operations. It also supported assessing and validating the staff actions and instructions in both the USARC OPORD 15-060 and the staff continuity books.”
The Army Reserve’s Atlantic Division, 75th Training Command not only helped script the STAFFEX, but also provided nine observer-controller/trainers to evaluate exercise participants.
“Here’s DSCA, here’s the future, here’s the way ahead of how the Army Reserve should incorporate DSCA into their everyday life,” said Col. Jason Wallace, branch chief for 1st Brigade, Atlantic Division. “This is a great opportunity for us and the Army Reserve as a whole.”
The opportunity to train on DSCA missions is being seized by the base’s 1104th Mobilization Support Battalion. The unit has a similar DSCA exercise planned for mid-August.
“There were a lot of things learned in the way the 99th staff came together in working the different issues from Public Affairs to Human Resources,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Walter E. Allen, 1104th MSB command sergeant major. “The different personnel participating from the 87th Air Base Wing, such as the Emergency Response personnel, and USARC G-33 (Personnel) were also of value during the exercise.”
The 99th STAFFEX has been completed, but work continues to ensure the command always stands ready to assist as requested to provide specific or unique unit capabilities and personnel to help offset the effects of any disaster.
“Let’s pray that we don’t have a catastrophic event in our area, but if and when we ever do we want to be postured and prepared as “Dauntless” professionals to take charge of what we need to do in this area,” Boor said.
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2015 15:02 |
| Story ID: | 169691 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 460 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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