LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - The New Jersey National Guard hosted a U.S. Northern Command Joint Staff training course focused on the readiness of Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen to support emergency management in New Jersey and beyond Jan. 10-12 at the NJNG Joint Operations Center.
“From hurricanes to the next pandemic, our staff continually prepares for dynamic support to our interagency partners across a spectrum of emergencies,” said U.S. Army Col. Arthur Roscoe Jr., director of the NJNG Joint Staff. “This course honed our team’s knowledge and coordination on key tasks when every decision counts.”
The course is offered on a rotational basis in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories in which the National Guard operates.
“Every state is different with unique laws, geography, organizations, risks and resources,” said retired U.S. Army Col. Dan Cameron, course facilitator.
Over 12 years, Cameron has instructed more than 180 joint courses.
“Our joint doctrine provides orderly and analytical frameworks for successful emergency management,“ he said. “However, the facilitation of cross-talk within the state staffs helps them sharpen their focus as teams. Being able to share approaches and lessons learned from other states is meaningful.”
The course is one of three USNORTHCOM offerings in New Jersey this spring, including a Joint Reception, Staging and Onward Movement and Integration course and Joint Operations Center training. Participants engage in academic and scenario-based activities.
“The success of NORAD and USNORTHCOM starts and stops with the National Guard,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command said during a recent National Guard adjutants general conference at Fort Carson, Colorado. “We are reliant on the National Guard in all facets of our missions to defend our homeland, conduct security cooperation activities with allies and partners, and support civil authorities.”