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 | April 18, 2008

Media invitation to National Guard disaster preparedness exercise

By Press Release

BEAUFORT, S.C. - The media is invited to participate in a major disaster preparedness exercise called Vigilant Guard that will test the capabilities and interoperability of local regional and state level first responders including the South Carolina National Guard, the state's first military responders.

Vigilant Guard is a three-day National Guard-hosted exercise beginning April 21 in Beaufort, S.C. The exercise is designed to test the ability of the National Guard, along with federal, state, and local "first responders," to react to a domestic emergency. This year's scenario will be a mock 7.3 earthquake centered in Beaufort County.

The exercise also allows media representatives to exercise their own emergency response plans by participating hand-in-hand with the National Guard.

Media representatives are invited to attend an exercise briefing at 9 a.m. (EDT) on Monday, April 21, at the National Guard Public Affairs Rapid Response Team Joint Information Center, 144 Shanklin Road.

All media must first gain exercise credentials, which are being distributed at the Beaufort National Guard Readiness Center, 1 Cavalry Lane, beginning Sunday, April 20.

Location of National Guard Public Affairs Rapid Response Team Joint Information Center:

144 Shanklin Road
Beaufort, SC 29902
Phone: 1 (803) 239-8769

View Map

Location of Beaufort National Guard Readiness Center:

1 Cavalry Lane
Beaufort, SC 29902

View Map

MEDIA WISHING TO EMBED are asked to RSVP with Col. Pete Brooks at (803) 806-4327 or via E-mail at peter.brooks2@us.army.mil.

FOR ADDITION INFORMATION on Vigilant Guard 2008, please contact:
National Guard Public Affairs Rapid Response Team: (803) 239-8769.
Maj. Scott Bell: (803) 806-1479
Maj. Jim St. Clair: (803) 806-4321
Staff Sgt. Joe Cashion: (803) 806-2697

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION about the South Carolina National Guard, please visit our Public Affairs Website at http://guard.sc.gov/

NOTE: The South Carolina National Guard is hosting Vigilant Guard 2008 that will test the capabilities and interoperability of local regional and state level first responders including the South Carolina National Guard, the state's first military responders.

Vigilant Guard is a three-day National Guard-hosted exercise beginning April 21 in Beaufort County, S.C. The exercise is designed to test the ability of the National Guard, along with federal, state, and local "first responders to react to a domestic emergency.

Vigilant Guard reinforces that all emergency events are local. Vigilant Guard's emergency exercises will run Monday through Thursday, April 21-24. This year's scenario will be a mock 7.3 earthquake centered in Beaufort County. After-effects of the earthquake will result in over 50 various scenarios at incident site locations throughout the county.

 

 

Related Articles
A police K9 inside an M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle during training with the Idaho National Guard. A joint training event with law enforcement at Gowen Field, Idaho, June 2, 2026. Photo by Rusty Rehl.
National Guard Counterdrug Program Adapts to Evolving Criminal Threats
By Sgt. 1st Class Christy Sherman, | June 22, 2026
ARLINGTON, Va. – Drug trafficking networks often cross state and international borders, and analysts with the National Guard Counterdrug program are helping law enforcement officials identify trafficking routes and connect...

The 29th Infantry Division concluded its 20-day Warfighter Training Exercise, or WFX 26-4, June 14, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. The division mustered its units from across the nation, including the Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Florida and Alabama National Guards.The warfighter exercise was designed to test division staff with challenging problems and obstacles necessary for success in large-scale combat operations. The division staff worked and planned meticulously with multiple subordinate brigades, bringing the division’s multilayered capabilities to bear against a fictional adversary of equivalent size. Courtesy photo.
Guard Soldiers Sharpen Readiness in Warfighter Exercise
By 1st Lt. Colt Bradley, | June 22, 2026
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The 29th Infantry Division concluded its 20-day Warfighter Training Exercise, or WFX 26-4, June 14, designed to test division staff with challenging problems and obstacles necessary for success in...

U.S. Air Force maintainers with the 123th Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, train maintainers with the 139th Airlift Wing on the C-130J Hercules aircraft, at Louisville Air National Guard Base, Kentucky, March 9, 2026. The 139th Airmen are instructors at the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center and became dual qualified on both the C-130H and C-130J Hercules to enhance their ability to support the school's evolving mission.Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Phil Speck.
Missouri Guardsmen Expand Capabilities Through Dual Qualification
By Master Sgt. Patrick Evenson, | June 22, 2026
ROSECRANS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mo. – Aircraft maintenance professionals assigned to the Missouri National Guard’s Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center, or AATTC, have reached a significant milestone by becoming...