FRANKFORT, Ky. –
Plans and operations officers Mr. Brian Stafford and Sgt. Maj. Jason Rhodes, both with the Kentucky National Guard’s directorate of military support (DOMS), were tour guides for local businesses and council members at the Boone National Guard Center (BNGC) in Frankfort Nov. 21, 2024.
Stafford and Rhodes guided the 16-member group through Kentucky’s emergency operations center (EOC), the new Joint Force Headquarters building, and the Army Aviation Support Facility while engaging with and enhancing the understanding of local community leaders on the dual mission of the National Guard.
“The Kentucky National Guard has conducted historically high levels of civil support missions over the last five years,” Stafford said. “As we have worked with and supported community partners, we realized that it would be to our benefit to meet with and conduct initial coordination with civil authorities before a disaster or emergency and explain how the National Guard is structured and how we function.”
Stafford emphasized that the National Guard has federal and state obligations. Most federal missions or training is preplanned; however, when a Service member is called upon for a disaster response, they may be taken away from their civilian responsibilities immediately.
“By engaging with community groups and building an understanding of the National Guard, my hope is that when folks see us in a community, they understand that a Soldier or Airmen has left a full-time job and their family to be there to support a community on their worst day,” said Stafford.
Stafford and Rhodes explained the detailed planning processes the Guard goes through to stay ready for any disaster.
One main topic of discussion included promoting the 120-county initiative to communicate and build relationships with all emergency managers in Kentucky.
Frankfort's community leaders also learned how Kentucky often supports neighboring states, such as the recent hurricanes in Florida, and how partnerships with West Virginia and Tennessee National Guards supported the saving of lives during the 2022 flooding in eastern Kentucky.
“We can’t bring everyone in the state onto BNGC. But my hope, to some degree, is that we create ambassadors for the Kentucky National Guard and our mission,” said Stafford. “I think that establishing a greater understanding at the community level can result in increased legislative support; maybe a member of Leadership Frankfort ends up in the legislature and will be more willing to sponsor pro-service-member or pro-Kentucky-National-Guard legislation.”