SDF Times Winter 2017 1
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11 | 16 | 2017 1 Message from the President Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “It’s “We are not command and control about selflessness” said MG Thomas military; each state has unique chal- Mullikin, Commander of the South Car- lenges,” Mullikin said. “It’s a constant olina State Guard. balancing act.” Hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes. Right In its role as a professional organiza- now, it is nearly impossible to miss the tion, SGAUS can help set guidelines news of one natural disaster or another that can cross state lines. “We can es- across North America. Those crises tablish best practices,” Mullikin said. helped set the backdrop for the Sep- “These best practices can then inform tember SGAUS conference in Myrtle what each SDF does in its own prac- Beach. MG Thomas Mullikin, current tice.” President of SGAUS, believes State De- SGAUS is accomplishing this mission by MAJ. GEN. (S.C.) THOMAS STOWE MULLIKIN, fense Forces (SDF) have a role to play in facilitating the formation of standards in several areas including medical, le- Commander of the South helping people prepare and recover Carolina State Guard and during a crisis. gal, search and rescue and chaplain President of the State training. Guard Association of the United States “We’re looking to be a force multiplier,” he said. “We can fill the gaps.” SDFs share something else, according to Mullikin, the desire to serve. However, the role of SDFs varies. That creates a challenge for SGAUS. Each “There is a different human dynamic,” state is different. he said. “We don’t pay them; we’re giving an opportunity to give back.” SDF Times Winter 2017 1 Web site: http://sgaus.org/ Message from the President Cont. That is what drives most soldiers in every state. Volun- Coming Soon! teers are willing and able to give their time and expertise without any financial payback. “They can find fulfillment they wouldn’t get with pay,” he SDF Times—Next Edition April 30 2018 said. “It’s selflessness.” Mullikin believes that desire to Submission Deadline serve will continue as SGAUS develops its future plans. The SGAUS National Conference concluded 23 September JAG Training Conference 2017. The 2018 Conference will be held in Long Beach, 20-21 April 2018 Fort Worth, TX California in late September or early October. Medical Training Conference 20-21 April 2018 Fort Worth, TX MEMS Training Conference 20-21 April 2018 Fort Worth, TX 2018 Mid-Year Conference Board Members Only 21 April 2018 Fort Worth, TX PAO Training Conference 21 April 2018 SGAUS President and South Carolina Stage Guard Commander Fort Worth, TX MG Thomas Mullikin speaking on the role of SGAUS in training State Defense Forces. Engineer Training Conference 21 April 2018 Fort Worth, TX Chaplain Meeting Conference 21 April 2018 Fort Worth, TX ASDF is actively engaged in opening new Detachments By: COL (AK) Michael Schowen, XO The 49th Brigade, Alaska State Defense Force Stand Down 2017 at the North Terminal of An- (ASDF), is actively engaged in opening new De- chorage International Airport. The ASDF has sup- tachments (DETS) throughout Alaska, currently ported Operation Stand Down for homeless veter- focusing on western and northern areas of the ans for many years and supports the Operation State. Wherever there is an Armory available for ion a variety of different roles. use, the ASDF is standing up new DETS and re- cruiting former National Guard Soldiers, retirees from all military branches and any local citizens with a desire to serve. These Soldiers are inti- mately familiar with their particular village/area, making them well qualified to conduct their Do- main Awareness Mission and support local com- munities with local emergencies as they manifest. The two newest DETS are in Kwethluk and Utqia- vik (formerly Barrow). Kwethluk is located in the western part of the State and Utqiavik is the northernmost city. Every location in western and northern Alaska is off the road system, accessible Swearing in new Soldiers at Kwethluk (above) Kweth- only by air and water, making logistical support a luk Armory (Below) challenge. An activity as simple as providing proper uniforms and equipment to Soldiers in these remote sites requires careful planning and execution. The ASDF is also planning and preparing for a joint exercise, Arctic Eagle 18, with the Canadian Rang- ers, Alaska Army National Guard, Alaska State Troopers, US Customs Service and the Colorado State Guard in late February-early March 2018 on the Alaska/Canada border, near Port Alcan. Ma- terial (Arctic tents, heaters, cold-weather cloth- ing, communication equipment, etc.), is being obtained and stored in preparation for deploy- Port Alcan, ment to carry out this International exercise next Alaska/ year. Transportation, food, water and sanitation considerations are being worked as part of the Canada planning process. ASDF Soldiers participated in the Alaska Federa- tion of Natives Convention in Anchorage, 19-21 Border Oct 17, primarily in recruiting mode and answer- ing many inquiries about the ASDF. In addition, Soldiers of the ASDF participated in Operation AK 2018 Mid-Year Conference POINTS OF CONTACTS • JAG, MAJ(TX) Michael Parker, [email protected] • Medical, Dr.(BG, TX-R) David Cohen, [email protected] • MEMS, SGM(CA) Fred Tredy, [email protected] • Board, BG(TN-R) Kenneth Takasaki, [email protected] • PAO, CPT(TN) Steven Estes, [email protected] • Engineer, LTC(MD) Ed Hubner, [email protected] • Chaplain, CH(COL, SC) Donald Hayes, [email protected] ** Hotel and conference registration information will be published short- ly. MEMS training will be ICS 300, Intermediate ICS for Expanding Inci- dents, prerequisite required. Medical Training will be another FEMA course PER-211 Medical Management of Chemical, Biological, Radiologi- cal, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) Events, prerequisite required. HURRICANE HIKE ATTRACTS NATIONWIDE PARTICIPATION MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Maj.(TN) Alan Bagley didn’t let his age get in the way of conquer- ing the South Carolina State Guard’s Hurricane Hike. The 53-year old traveled to the SGAUS conference from Kingsport, Tenn. for the MEMS academy meeting. But he felt that he could challenge himself by participating in the hike, a three-mile race on Myrtle Beach. “Hiking in combat gear is hard enough in the woods,” Bagley said. “But doing it in sand is a whole new challenge.” The race usually attracts local runners. But since it happened at the SGAUS conference this year, it got attention nationwide. Dozens of soldiers from across America participat- ed. The guidon helped lead the way at the Hurricane The Hurricane Hike isn’t just for fun. Maj. Gen.(SC) Thomas Mullikin said this is a tool for Hike as part of the SGAUS preparing guardsmen for real-world events. In a disaster, soldiers may have to reach conference in Myrtle areas that are only accessible by foot. Not just guardsmen participated; this was a family-friendly event. Recognition was given to the top finishers in several categories, based on age and gender. Several participants also completed the race carrying a 40-pound rucksack. Because of a recent knee injury, Bagley chose not to carry the extra weight. But he’s still happy with his finish. “I’m glad it’s over. And I hope to do I again sometime in the future,” Bagley said. “It’s not just about me. It was a great experience sharing the beach with state guardsmen from across the country.” Warager - Col.(NY) David Warager finished first in the Hurricane Hike Maj.(TN) Alan Bagley fin- at the SGAUS conference in Myrtle One Hurricane Hiker finishes the ished the three mile Hurri- Beach, S.C. race carrying a 40-pound ruck- cane Hike despite a shoulder sack. injury The Path Forward for State Defense Force Professional Education During the past year, the SGAUS Professional Military of the states to appoint a training officer to represent Education Committee conducted an assessment of the their interests in the development of the academy. We various levels of State Defense Force Profession devel- are also looking for volunteers to fill out the SGAUS opment training and curriculums across the country. organization. There is a need for an Officer-in-Charge of Not all state defense forces choose to participate in the the Professional Military Courses (Officer, Warrant survey, but enough were involved to develop a statisti- Officer and Non-Commissioned) and an Officer-in- cally accurate picture. This survey was conducted from Charge of the Occupational Specialty Courses (Judge September 2016 through May 2017 using generally Advocate, Engineer, Medical, Public affairs Officer/ accepted government audit standards. We believed Public Information Officer courses). The role of the O-I- that the evidence gathered provided a reasonable basis C will not be to run the courses, but to act as a facilita- for the development of a path forward in the develop- tor and enabler of the course leads. Additionally we ment of a program that would: 1) Provide a quality are looking for course leads for various existing courses educational product that SDFs can use to leverage their and future courses. There is also a need for two Ser- limited training time (Approximately 110 hours annual- geants Majors, one for the overall academy and one for ly), 2) Increase the hands-on (psychomotor skills) train- the Non-Commissioned Officers program. ing and reduce the classroom based (Death by Power 2. Development of exportable Training Units and De- Point) training, 3) By decreasing the units need to de- velopment Leaders doctrine. The committee will be velop, management and teach basic military skill cours- developing exportable doctrine that will provide the es, Units can focus on the Mission Essential Task List SDFs with templates that they can take, integrate and (METL) training, collaborative and leader training in adopt.