SALEM, OR – From June 9 – 12, Applied Training Solutions, LLC (ATS), assisted with VIBRANT RESPONSE Oregon, an event meant to test the Oregon National Guard’s Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake response plan. The focal point of this exercise was on the devolution of command from the 173rd Fighter Wing in Klamath Falls, OR, back to the Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) once the JFHQ had reconstituted itself.
The scenario began with a massive 9+M earthquake off the coasts off Washington, Oregon and northern California. Soon after the earthquake hits, a tsunami triggered by the earthquake inundated the entire coast of Oregon. The effects of the earthquake and the tsunami left many areas of Oregon west of the Cascade mountain range with devastating infrastructure and building damage. The Oregon National Guard was mobilized and stood up a Dual Status Command-led Joint Task Force to assist the state in responding to the disaster. The state was assisted by National Guard units from several states, in addition to active duty Army forces.
This exercise allowed the Oregon National Guard to practice their critical response tasks in leading the military response, while also allowing them to identify the parts of their plan that need refinement and where additional training might be needed.
The use of ATSsim and the expertise of the ATS staff in modeling & simulation and exercise execution, allowed the exercise sponsors and the Oregon National Guard to achieve considerable cost savings over a full-scale exercise and still achieve the same training result end-state for the Dual Status Commander and his staff.