In the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophic event, Third Army/U.S. Army Central is ready to deploy to any of the more than 20 countries in its area of responsibility to provide assistance to those in need.
This year's Lucky Warrior 09-01, held May 27-June 5 at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, trained and refined Third Army/USARCENT's humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities as the scenario called the unit to provide aid to a fictitious country struck by a natural disaster.
The scenario was to make sure that Third Army/USARCENT would be prepared in the case of a humanitarian aid/disaster relief situation, according to Lt. Anthony Polczynsi, Third Army/USARCENT operations officer.
"That way we would be able to react instantly, get out there, and reach out to be able to assist wherever we could," said Polczynski.
Throughout the exercise, participants dealt with scenarios ranging from providing medical assistance to displaced citizens, repairing roads and bridges, to dealing with mock media who interviewed senior leaders and produced newscasts and articles.
"From the time we stood up the command post, Lucky Warrior has been all about people working together as a team," said Lt. Gen. William G. Webster, Third Army/USARCENT commanding general. "The exercise scenario tested our ability to support a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission, while continuing sustainment of the forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. It required flexibility to adapt as conditions and missions changed. I have to commend the staff for keeping things simple and thinking things through logically. As an incoming commander, I like what I see."
In addition to the scenario, the exercise served as an opportunity to test communication and ensure everyone worked together.
Lt. Col. Ardrelle Evans, Third Army/USARCENT Deputy Chief of Operations, emphasized the training's importance in providing a venue for Third Army/USARCENT's components to coordinate with one another.
"This is an exceptional collective training opportunity to sustain proficiency with the distribution of command and control across geographically separated command posts," Evans said.
Overall, the exercise helped the unit learn more about each other, said Staff Sgt. William Laughlin, Third Army/USARCENT senior early warning systems operator.
People may come in and out of the unit and jobs may change, Laughlin said. That is why an exercise like this is important. It helps develop relationships amongst the sections and builds chemistry so people can work together better.
Date Taken: | 06.06.2009 |
Date Posted: | 06.06.2009 15:35 |
Story ID: | 34649 |
Location: | US |
Web Views: | 335 |
Downloads: | 313 |
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