National Guard conducts disaster response exercise at Disaster City and RELLIS Campus

COLLEGE
STATION – Joint Task Force 136 of the Texas National Guard is conducting a
large-scale simulated disaster response training exercise this week at the Texas
A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Disaster City® in College Station,
and the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus in Bryan, in order to certify their
Homeland Response Force mission. Approximately 600 military personnel are participating
in the response to a mock explosion with dispersion of a radioactive agent at
Disaster City. RELLIS Campus will house the Brigade Headquarters during the
weeklong exercise.

 

This
is the second time that Joint Task Force 136 (Maneuver Enhancement Brigade) has
conducted a disaster response training exercise at TEEX. These specialized
National Guard personnel are equipped to handle emergency response needs, such
as extraction, decontamination and medical triage. As a military outfit,
JTF-136 (MEB) functions entirely at the request of and in support of its
civilian counterparts such as fire and police departments.

 

The
Homeland Response Force mission bridges the gap between civilian first
responders and military support personnel in 
the event of disasters, both manmade or natural, and covers all of FEMA
Region VI, which incorporates Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and
Arkansas.

 

This
training exercise, conducted March 25-31, is the official National Guard Bureau
(NGB)-mandated certification necessary for the brigade to continue the Homeland
Response Force mission for another three years. As this is an external
evaluation, the validating entity, Joint Interagency Training and Education
Center (JITEC), is a non-NGB organization qualified to assess the effectiveness
of the Guardsmen in their life-saving tasks.

 

About the Texas
Military Department

The
mission of the Texas Military Department (TMD) is to provide the Governor and
the President with ready and trained forces in support of the citizens of Texas
and State and Federal civil/military authorities at home and abroad. The Texas
Military Department is commanded by the Adjutant General of Texas, the state’s
senior military official appointed by the governor, and is comprised of the
Texas Military Department (formerly the Adjutant General’s Department), the
Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), the
Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS). For more
information about the Texas Military Department, visit
https://tmd.texas.gov.

 

About the Texas A&M
Engineering Extension Service

TEEX
is an internationally recognized leader in the delivery of emergency response,
homeland security, workforce training and exercises, technical assistance,
product testing and economic development. Last year, TEEX served more than
168,000 people from every U.S. state and territory and 82 countries worldwide.
TEEX makes a difference by providing training, developing practical solutions,
and saving lives. For more information about TEEX, visit
www.teex.org

 

For
more information, contact:


1st Lt. Chad Bell, JTF-136 (MEB) Public Information Office

512-568-7645;
email
[email protected].

or

Kathy
Fraser, TEEX Marketing & Communications

979-458-6837;
email
[email protected]