{"id":259502,"date":"2024-08-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=259502"},"modified":"2024-08-20T06:37:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T06:37:47","slug":"new-jersey-national-guard-tests-disaster-response-readiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=259502","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey National Guard Tests Disaster Response Readiness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Preston Robinson, with the Joint Staff – Joint Force Headquarters, New Jersey National Guard, briefs staff during training exercise Vigilant Guard in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Aug. 18, 2024. Vigilant Guard is a full-scale exercise to ensure effective coordination between local, state, private sector, non-governmental and federal partners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Schwenk)
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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The New Jersey National Guard launched Vigilant Guard, a disaster-preparedness exercise from Aug. 17-21 to enhance coordination between military first responders and civilian emergency services.<\/p>\n

The exercise simulates a Category 3 hurricane striking New Jersey, testing responses to massive flooding, power outages, and significant damage to bridges and a major hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are training for the worst-case scenario,\u201d said U.S. Army Col. Arthur Roscoe, incoming director of the Joint Staff, New Jersey National Guard. \u201cA Category 3 storm is unlikely, but having lived through Superstorm Sandy, we know even non-hurricane storms can cause catastrophic damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

When disasters exceed local capabilities, the National Guard Joint Operation Center coordinates with the state\u2019s Office of Emergency Management to respond as military first responders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn New Jersey, emergency management begins locally and escalates to county and state levels. If additional support is needed, OEM will call on us,\u201d said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Timothy Coakley, director of the Joint Staff, New Jersey National Guard.<\/p>\n

Throughout Vigilant Guard, U.S. Northern Command will assess New Jersey\u2019s mission readiness and provide feedback. Each state participates in its own geographically tailored Vigilant Guard exercise, addressing disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires to prepare troops for likely scenarios.<\/p>\n

The 42nd Regional Support Group will follow civil authorities\u2019 directions, conducting missions like search-and-rescue at a collapsed hospital and combating cyber attacks. Any tasks beyond the New Jersey Guard\u2019s capacity will be assigned to other states, including Massachusetts and Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy focus for this exercise is on people, places and processes,\u201d said Coakley. \u201cWe need to ensure we have the right personnel in place, a functioning command post and a refined joint planning process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extended disaster assistance begins with a presidential disaster declaration, enabling federal funds to relieve state resources. During significant disasters, a National Guard senior leader often serves as a \u201cdual-status commander,\u201d leading federal and state forces. In this exercise, Coakley will assume that role.<\/p>\n

Coakley said the 42nd Regional Support Group, the primary unit conducting the exercise, has the combat sustainment support elements to respond to a major disaster.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re an enduring force, ready to assist the moment the storms pass,\u201d said Capt. Jeffery Silver, the project officer for the Vigilant Guard exercise.<\/p>\n

In 2012, when Hurricane Sandy caused more than 40 deaths and more than $37 billion in damage, over 6,000 New Jersey National Guardsmen helped civil authorities respond. Some remained on duty for months of cleanup.<\/p>\n

New Jersey has also supported other states, sending over 100 Guardsmen to assist Florida after Hurricane Irma in 2017.<\/p>\n

For more National Guard news<\/a><\/p>\n

National Guard Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

National Guard X<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Preston Robinson, with the Joint Staff – Joint Force Headquarters, New Jersey National Guard, briefs staff during training exercise Vigilant Guard in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Aug. 18, 2024. Vigilant Guard is a full-scale exercise to ensure effective coordination between local, state, private sector, non-governmental and federal partners. (U.S. Army […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259504,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-259502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=259502"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259505,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259502\/revisions\/259505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/259504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=259502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=259502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=259502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}