Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Georgia Guard members mentor state partners in emergency preparedness exercise By the Georgia National Guard
 TBILISI, Georgia - Georgia National Guard members served here as advisors and trainers June 23 in Shared Horizons 11, the first in a new series of emergency exercises in the country of Georgia. This is just the latest in a long series of engagements conducted over the 16-year partnership between the nation and the state of Georgia. Growing out of the State Department's Partnerships for Peace program, the National Guard's State Partnership Program reflects an evolving international affairs mission for the Guard that emphasizes its unique state-federal and civil-military characteristics. "The country of Georgia and the state of Georgia had an ongoing relationship prior to the SPP, so it was a natural fit," said Army Sgt. Maj. Lance Rygmyr, State Partnership Program coordinator for the Georgia National Guard. "The state of Georgia has partnered with the country of Georgia on many initiatives throughout the years - not only disaster response, but also in training and helping the Georgians augment their participation in Iraq and Afghanistan." A bilateral emergency tabletop response exercise, Shared Horizons 11 is designed to test the country's National Response Plan as it relates to cooperation between the Georgian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs in domestic emergency response. "The exercise was planned well. My assessment is very positive," said Irakli Khadagidze, director of the emergency management department of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. "This is valuable training for us, because there are so many emergencies in our country and natural disasters, so it's very important for us (to be prepared), and this is a very good experience for our personnel." An important aspect of the exercise is to encourage and enable the two ministries - roughly analogous to the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security - to work together more efficiently. "A lot of former Soviet Bloc countries have issues sometimes with the stovepipe nature of their ministries, the way they work and cooperate and communicate," Rygmyr said. "So this really is a great moment because we have all these agencies and all these plans written to augment a centralized National Response Plan, working together in a cohesive effort for emergency management and disaster response." The tabletop exercise uses laptop computers and a local e-mail system to simulate the communications, coordination and tasking necessary to respond to an emergency. The scenario unfolds through a series of injects, which are messages to various ministries and contacts, including situation reports from the field, updates from outside agencies, and even simulated media inquiries. Participants then must respond appropriately - for example, by publishing a press release - within the guidelines of the scenario. "This is all about building partner capacity," said United Kingdom Lt. Col. Steve Hunt, British exchange officer to U.S. European Command plans and operations. "The more robust we make our partners, the more robust we make the regions, the less the U.S. will have to be committed." A special area of interest for the exercise was strategic communications, which involves coordinated response to events through the media, internal communications and even the tasks assigned to units in an emergency. A former Soviet Republic, Georgia has a culture of response that is more controlled and limited than its Western counterparts. On hand to help introduce and teach concepts of strategic communications to the Georgians were officers of the 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Georgia Army National Guard. "The Georgia National Guard is proud to have worked closely with our counterparts for sixteen years now, as part of the State Partnership Program," said Army Brig. Gen. Larry Dudney, director of the Joint Staff, Georgia National Guard. "Our enduring relationship with Georgia affords us the opportunity to build lasting trust, which allows us to lend our experience and expertise in many areas."
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course
 By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith,
  38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry,
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska
 By 156th Wing
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 8 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 15 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 15 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil