CARSON CITY, Nev. - It won't just be Elvis impersonators ringing in the New Year in the Las Vegas area tonight.
An annual domestic operatons exercise, held for the last 12 years, means that Nevada National Guard members will have a higher profile during the New Year's holiday period Tuesday night after 4 p.m. through New Year's Day. The increased visibility of Guardsmen is due to their participation in an annual domestic operations exercise. With Soldiers and Airmen on duty during the annual exercise, the Nevada National Guard will be able to quickly provide military resources in the case of any contingency.
The exercise is not due to any specific threat to any area of Nevada, officials said in a news release. It will be conducted alongside civilian resources such as local law enforcement and first response agencies.
More than 65 Nevada Guard troops are set to participate in the exercise, including Soldiers and Airmen from the 137th and 72nd Military Police Companies, the 1-221st Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, the 92nd Civil Support Team, the 152nd Airlift Wing, the 17th Sustainment Brigade, the 485th Military Police Company and the 152nd Airlift Wing. A Nevada Army Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter will also be in the area on a training flight, but it is not participating in the exercise.
And across the nation in New York City, about 150 members of a task force, along with members of the 24th Civil Support Team, and a New York Naval Militia patrol craft will be on duty New Year's Eve as revelers gather to welcome 2015. About 500 members of the New York National Guard are on state active duty serving in the task force, which augments the Metropolitan Transit Authority Police Department, the Bridge and Port Authority Police Department and the Amtrak Police at city transportation hubs.