By Pvt. Alexis Koster, JTF-CS PAO
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – Imagine if a 10-kiloton nuclear bomb went off on American soil. How would you react? How would you feel? What would you do?
Soldiers from the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade were presented with these questions when they traveled more than 400 miles to Indiana to participate in a 14-day exercise called Vibrant Response 10.1 Nov. 1-15.
Vibrant Response is a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosives Consequence Management Response Force training mission designed to prepare the CCMRF for response to an attack that happens on American soil. The 4th MEB assumed the mission of CCMRF Task Force Operations Oct. 1.
Soldiers from the 94th Signal Company and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 193rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th MEB, convoyed to Camp Atterbury, Ind., a National Guard training site, with all necessary equipment to set up a tactical operations center.
Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, a full-immersion contemporary urban training environment, was where the training took place. It was used as a training ground for personnel to learn how to rescue survivors of incidents that could occur in our homeland. It has 70 buildings, including schools and houses, spread out over 1,000 acres and is similar to an actual city.
“Our operation is a three-element mission,” said 1st Sgt. Lee Smith, 637th Chemical Company, part of the state of Ohio’s Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package. “First, we go out and search for survivors of the blast; then, we decontaminate them with our special equipment, and finally, we triage the victims and mend their injuries. This is a great exercise because it helps to work like a team with the Air Force and Marines.”
The Air Force Radiation Assessment Team, another CCMRF unit, worked directly with the 4th MEB in the Tactical Operations Center.
“AFRAT’s job is to provide radiological support for Northern Command. We provide radiological surveillance as well as personal dosimeter monitoring,” said Air Force Technical Sgt. Carrissa Acosta.
“It’s good to intermingle and learn different ways of doing things and the different processes. It also helps the ‘one team, one fight’ mission,” she added. Acosta also said it was nice to go out into the field. “It gives you an understanding of how long things actually take as opposed to sitting at a table notionally doing it.”
According to Cmdr. Dion English, Joint Task Force — Civil Support logistics planner, Vibrant Response 10.1 was the largest exercise JTF-CS has ever done in terms of logistics.
Air Force Master Sgt. Ronald Collins, JTF-CS logistics, said the exercise gathered more than 2,700 CCMRF troops, not including trainers and exercise support staff, brought more than 1,200 pieces of equipment from all around the United States.
JTF-CS planners had to plan for life support, including feeding and billeting, logistical sustainment, including fuel water and field feeding for all the CCMRF troops involved in the exercise, which very closely resembled what would happen in the event of a real incident.
CCMRF units came from locations including: Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Leonard Wood., Mo.; Fort Monroe Va.; Langley Air Force Base, Va.; Frankfort, Ky.; and many other locations. They moved equipment to a number of locations in Indiana, including Camp Atterbury, Jennings Fairgrounds, Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, North Vernon and Shelbyville Airport.
In the case of a real incident, the logistics plans take into account supporting multiple sites, so it was realistic to be providing support to the multiple locations, English said.
The 167th Theater Support Command also assisted by supplying a Joint Reception Center, which was responsible for conducting the initial accountability for the CCMRF personnel.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
091107-M-6633H-003.
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade, U.S. Army National Guard, Frankfort, Ky., winds down at Camp Atterbury, Ind., after transporting Maj. Gen. Daniel Long, Joint Task Force — Civil Support commander, on a site survey mission during exercise Vibrant Response, Nov. 7, 2009.
(Photo by Marine Staff Sgt. Chris Hale, JTF-CS PAO)
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Marines from the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, Indian Head, Md., work to rescue civilians after a simulated nuclear explosion at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Ind., during Exercise Vibrant Response 10.1, Nov. 8, 2009.
(Photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Bailey, 1st Combat Camera Squadron)
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