CLINTON, Ky. –
Soldiers from the Kentucky Army National Guard’s communication/IT support section’s (G6) Mission Command shop mobilized to western Kentucky to conduct an emergency deployment readiness exercise, Aug. 12-16, 2024.
The EDRE, named “ROLLING THUNDER 2024 –Kentucky Interoperability Communication Exercise (COMEX),” simulated lost communications as a consequence of an earthquake occurring within the New Madrid Seismic Zone which spans parts of western Kentucky and six other states.
The exercise included checking military radios, using high-frequency and satellite systems, ensuring different communication systems work together, and restoring cell phone service.
U.S. Army Maj. Jason Spayd, the joint operations center coordinator, has been working on the plans for this EDRE for approximately 12 months. Spayd worked in the adaptive battle staff from start to finish with members of the emergency management, Kentucky Air and Army National Guard, and the department of military affairs.
For the Kentucky National Guard’s mobile Mission Command, restoration of radio communications within the areas that may be affected is high on their list during the response. Teams specialized in multiple radio technologies are immediately activated to establish talking communication across the state without the use of wireless communications towers that may have lost power.
Mission Command first employs the use of the military’s high frequency (HF) radios in combination with a very high frequency (VHF) commercial satellite link to speak with local emergency management teams with civilian equivalent, battery-operated radios and those that can be powered by mobile generators.
Next, would be the inclusion of satellite data capabilities can also provide temporary connectivity for cellular phone traffic.
By establishing these communication channels, the KYNG’s mobile Mission Command can speak directly to the counties and regions affected by the disaster and transfer voice and data from anywhere in the Commonwealth to similar command or response teams provided by the Kentucky Emergency Management or FEMA, to include the Emergency Operations Center stationed in Frankfort.
According to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeremy Jackson, the mobile command center trailers used by the KYNG are fully independent and towable. They can be used almost anywhere to establish communications via satellite. A satellite connection also enables radio internet protocol (a.k.a., radio IP), to connect landline phones and the HF/VHF radios across vast distances.
Regions with restored communications can then report the status of damage to infrastructure, transmit requests for supplies, and communicate during search and rescue efforts, thus saving lives.
“Our main purpose for this exercise is long range, over-the-horizon communications,” said Jackson. “For this exercise, everything is down. Internet, cell phones, DMARCS. So, we link these radios to the satellites and then we can reach out to teams that were cut off in other cities.”
The mobile command centers are KYNG-owned and operated equipment and not intended for overseas or combat theater use.
“We have these for the home-mission,” said Jackson. “Our mission is for domestic operations only. This is one of the reasons KYEM includes the National Guard for these exercises because our Department of Military Affairs support is directly intended for it.”
“Interoperability is the key term for this mission,” added Jackson. “Our job is to connect the Kentucky National Guard with KYEM, Kentucky State Police, and the emergency managers of each county.”
U.S. Army Capt. Alan Newell, the liaison officer for Hickman County, gave a few examples of why the Guard’s job of re-establishing communications was important for the county emergency management centers.
“In the case of this natural disaster, if there are no communications, we can’t get support to the people who need it in this county,” he said.
“For example, what if a sinkhole took out a road or an intersection,” said Newell. "Local law enforcement would already be busy providing their services elsewhere during this kind of situation. So, they would contact me to ask for National Guard support. I would need to communicate from here in Hickman County to Frankfort and ask for military police support.”
During the exercise, a mobile command center was brought to Clinton, Kentucky, and a main command post was set up at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville.
Master Sgt. Clinton Ragsdale, the NCOIC for the command center in WHFRTC, explained that another part of the EDRE was to overcome the obstacle of getting radio communications to areas physically isolated from the rest of the state.
“During a case like the New Madrid, most likely, bridges could collapse,” said Ragsdale. “We then have smaller, fly-away kits that can be flown on Black Hawk helicopters and taken to places that cannot be accessed by wheeled vehicles.
“One of the future projects we are working on is to get our [mobile command center] trailers airlift-rated so they can be loaded on to the Kentucky Air National Guard’s C-130s and flown to where they are needed,” Ragsdale added.
Ragsdale emphasized the importance of providing leaders access to critical information, which not only helps them better understand the situation but also enables them to make well-informed decisions.
Training on advanced communications capabilities during events like the EDRE ensures the Kentucky National Guard is prepared to support the citizens of the Commonwealth in the event of any disaster.