WILMINGTON, N.C. – A category 3 hurricane, with winds over 120 mph, has ravaged the North Carolina coastline compromising the security of its ports at Wilmington, Morehead City and Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point. This scenario is the basis of an exercise called Operation Vigilant Seahawk. A natural disaster scenario that could very well affect our state at any given moment during hurricane season and this is why the North Carolina Guard and state and federal agencies are conducting this training.
Operation Vigilant Seahawk (OVS) is a regional domestic operations and homeland security/defense exercise from June 13-22, 2016, with multiple missions up and down the coast of North Carolina. The exercise will improve communication and coordination with state and federal partners during disaster response and recovery operations.
“We are working with North Carolina Emergency Management, the Coast Guard, National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina Port Authority and municipal law enforcement,” said Maj. Bill Dudley, officer in charge of the North Carolina Guard tactical operations center at Fort Fisher. “Real world, if we have a hurricane, we will be better prepared because we have worked together and have built solid relationships.”
The primary focus of OVS is on North Carolina Port Security Operations at Wilmington, Morehead City and Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point (MOTSU). OVS has 1,000 Guard members training from Morehead City south to Sunny Point (over a 140 mile area). They will validate their domestic operation skills through different tasks/scenarios such as: damage assessment, security patrols, react to threats, liaison operations, react to civilian and military injuries, support to state and federal emergency response partners and validate the NCNG rapid reaction force.
“In our company we’ve always been ready for combat, to deploy overseas and support our nation and allies,” said Sgt. Leandra Oxedine, a military police officer with the 514th MP company, based in Winterville. “But in this training, we are focused on domestic operations supporting our state and fellow citizens. This helps keep us sharp in those responsibilities.”
OVS will ensure the NCNG is always ready and always there to respond to a natural disaster like a hurricane.
“We are learning a lot from our partners,” said Col. Tim Aiken, deputy task force commander and commander of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, based in Charlotte. “We are getting to know people, which in an emergency it really helps to know who to go to, points of contacts, and understanding each other capabilities.”
The North Carolina National Guard, and the National Guard as a whole, is a unique military force charged with a dual-mission; ready to serve the governor or the president on a moment’s notice. Operation vigilant Seahawk keeps the Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen of the NCNG ready to do just that.