Photo By Senior Airman Victoria Jewett | A group photo during the Contingency Response Senior Leadership Summit at Muñiz Air...... read more read more
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MUÑIZ AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Puerto Rico -- The 156th Wing, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, hosted the first-ever ANG Contingency Response Senior Leadership Summit, at Muñiz Air National Guard Base bringing together key personnel from active-duty and contingency response units from ten states — California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Washington, and Puerto Rico, Oct. 8-9, 2024.
The summit was created to standardize and learn how to better organize, train, and equip contingency response units across the ANG enterprise, focusing on expanding and enhancing CR's global capabilities for future opportunities by exchanging best practices across the spectrum of air operations, from humanitarian disaster response to contested combat environments.
“The opportunity to host this event underscores Puerto Rico’s vital role in national defense and global readiness,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Miguel A. Mendez, the adjutant general of Puerto Rico. “It is a testament to the professionalism and readiness of our Airmen, and we are proud to be at the forefront of such an important initiative for the Air National Guard.”
During the two-day summit, experts shared best practices, experienced hands-on demonstrations, and served as an opportunity to meet face-to-face to discuss funding challenges.
“We need to strengthen the guard’s ability to respond to global and national contingencies, showcase interoperability with each other and the active-duty Air Force and show America contingency response units are the backbone of rapid deployment, ensuring readiness for both military and humanitarian crises,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Humberto Pabon Jr., assistant adjutant general - air, Puerto Rico Air National Guard.
Pabon created the summit with support from other state leaders to promote a national-level conversation about contingency response needs across the Air Force enterprise.
“This summit is what it’s all about,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Barton Kenerson, A/4 director of logistics infrastructure and support for Air Force Southern Command. “Establishing relationships ahead of the fight is critical. In times of crisis, you can’t win. This event sets the conditions for success. It makes stronger, more effective teams.”
Kenerson also emphasized the importance of the additional capability and quality of force the Air Guard brings to the CR fight. “We can’t do it without the Guard. Our advanced strategy in South America and the Caribbean depends on the established relationships and consistency of operations in other countries through National Guard State Partnership Programs.”
Summit participants also used this time as a mentoring opportunity with cross-unit collaborations, sharing critical tactics and strategies that will bolster the Guard’s overall readiness and response capabilities.
“We are just getting into the CR business. Having the ability to get an education and to network is extremely important,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Dan McDonough, Illinois assistant adjutant general – air, while touring a display of CR tools and equipment. This summit is a huge success because events specific to contingency response have never happened before and this showcases its importance at the national level.”
Leaders and participants left the summit with a collaborative understanding on how to elevate the importance of contingency response to their state and its impact on the national defense strategy.
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.11.2024 10:49 |
| Story ID: | 482988 |
| Location: | CAROLINA, PR |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, ANG Contingency Response Senior Leadership Summit Promotes Global Perspective, by Maj. Matt Murphy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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