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 Pa. Guard begins planning for exercise Vigilant Guard, Lithuanian counterparts scheduled to participate By Maj. Angela King-Sweigart, U.S. Army
                Pennsylvania National Guard
 FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - The Pennsylvania National Guard has been preparing to take part in Vigilant Guard, a training exercise that sees Guard members working alongside state, local and federal first responders in a simulated disaster scenario. The multi-component training exercise is intended to improve communication and operational relationships between civilian, federal, and military partners in preparation for catastrophic emergencies. While the exercise will include an estimated 2,500 Guard members from throughout the country, also included are representatives from the Lithuanian armed forces and members of that country's fire and rescue services as part of the ongoing partnership with the Pennsylvania Guard through the State Partnership Program. "It is a great opportunity to work with our interagency partners at the international, federal, state and local agencies," said Lt. Col. Alan Ornoski, joint strategic plans officer with the Pennsylvania Guard. "We want to continue to build relationships while exercising our command-and-control systems to respond to a catastrophic event." The simulated event is scheduled to include responses to a severe weather emergency, like a hurricane. Events from the storm would possibly trigger several other events, such as a cyber security incident, or the need to evacuate residents. Members of the Lithuanian armed forces and civilian agencies said they are looking forward to observing and participating in the exercise. "Lithuania is fortunate in that we are a relatively safe country," said Lithuanian Col. Art?ras Ra?kauskas, deputy director of the fire and rescue department, under the ministry of the interior of Lithuania. "But, we still have wildfires, floods, and other events that require mass evacuations. This exercise will enable us to become more knowledgeable on how to manage these large-scale events." Lithuanian military members are often called on to respond to large-scale natural and manmade disasters. "In Lithuania, the armed forces are called out to assist in civil-military operations. For example, we were called out to help combat forest fires, and an area of our nation is subject to frequent flooding," said Lithuanian armed forces Maj. Vaidotas Šidlauskas, military training and planning officer, Joint Headquarters, Lithuanian Armed Forces. The planning phase of the exercise will continue into next year with the agencies meeting several more times to solidify plans. This is the first time the Pennsylvania National Guard has hosted the bi-annual exercise which is held with varying scenarios, in different states. The Pennsylvania Guard has had a 20-year partnership with Lithuania through the National Guard Bureau's SPP.
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