An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | March 28, 2022

Alaska Army Guard conducts multiagency CBRNE exercise

By Victoria Granado, Alaska National Guard Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Army National Guard’s 103rd Civil Support Team, National Guard CST units from other states, and local and federal agencies participated in Van Winkle 2022, a biannual, all-hazards response exercise in Juneau March 22-23.

National Guardsmen of the 14th CST of Connecticut, 47th CST of Mississippi, 42nd CST of North Carolina and the 83rd CST of Montana flew to the state capital to participate in the scenario-based exercise.

Designed to apply and test their knowledge, units practiced responding to various chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive events while coordinating with civilian assets and federal agencies, such as the Juneau fire department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The CBRNE scenarios included simulated chemical weapons lab buildings and a staged plane crash contaminated by a radioactive source.

Lt. Col. Anthony Mortrud, commander of the 103rd CST, explained how Van Winkle increases the interoperability between Guardsmen and local first responders in an actual CBRNE occurrence.

“It’s important that we build these working relationships now between the civilian agencies and ourselves,” said Mortrud. “So that when a real-world natural or man-made disaster does happen, we’re not fumbling through trying to establish how we are going to work together.”

A less visible component of the CBRNE response scenarios is the coordination between the agencies in developing standard techniques and procedures. Juneau, a relatively remote location for a large-scale exercise, helped demonstrate the importance of logistics and travel in every operation.

“We really want to speak the same language with our local partners so we are able to air load and fly people from anywhere in Alaska,” said Capt. Roger Tran, the nuclear medical science officer of the 103rd CST. “We need to be able to communicate efficiently, work with the same tools and the same standard operation procedures.”

Maj. Adam Karlin, the deputy commander of the 83rd CST of the Montana National Guard, echoed that sentiment and added that the exercise further enhances the ability of different CSTs to work as a team despite their location.

“We’re [the CST] a small community,” said Karlin. “Any chance we get to come out and work with our counterparts and other teams really sets the stage for when we go on actual missions.”

Staff Sgt. Jonathon Ramos, one of the section team leaders for the 103rd CST, coordinated the efforts of his team and the adjacent teams’ down-range operations. 

“This exercise gives us a chance to flex our capabilities,” said Ramos. “We can see how it works in interagency operations and see the culmination of a year’s worth of training and preparing for this type of event. The Alaska National Guard being capable of operating with outside entities makes us a viable asset whenever large-scale events take place.”

 

 

Related Articles
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter belonging to the Connecticut National Guard's 169th Aviation Regiment prepares to gather water from a local lake to dump on a brushfire burning on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin, Connecticut Oct. 23, 2024. This was the first time since 1995 that Connecticut National Guard aviation units conducted an aerial firefighting mission in state.
Connecticut National Guard Assists With Hawthorne Brush Fire
By Timothy Koster, | Nov. 4, 2024
BERLIN, Conn. – Forty aviators, firefighters, and support personnel from the Connecticut National Guard were activated to assist local and state emergency personnel with containing a brush fire that consumed more than 120...

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is fueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard, during exercise Sentry Savannah hosted by the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Georgia, May 9, 2024. Sentry Savannah is the Air National Guard’s premier 4th- and 5th-gen fighter integration exercise, involving more than 775 participants and 40 aircraft from six flying units.
Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise
By Master Sgt. Caila Arahood and Senior Airman Victoria Coursey, | June 17, 2024
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Approximately 775 participants and 40 aircraft from six flying units participated in the 10th year of exercise Sentry Savannah hosted by the Air Dominance Center May 6-18.Sentry Savannah is the Air National...

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur Fredericks, the Connecticut National Guard's senior enlisted advisor, presents Rick Maynard a Connecticut World War I Campaign Medal in honor of his great-uncle's service with the 102nd Infantry Regiment in World War I. Sgt. Paul Maynard served with Company M in multiple battles across France and ultimately perished on the last day of the War.
Connecticut World War I Soldier Awarded Purple Heart
By Timothy Koster, | May 29, 2024
GUILFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut National Guard Soldier assigned to Company M, 102nd Infantry Regiment, received the Purple Heart May 24, more than 100 years after he died during World War I.U.S. Army Sgt. Paul Maynard of...