United States Transportation Command

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - U.S. Transportation Command will demonstrate and test its capabilities to support a federal response to a variety of disastrous events during an intensive eight-day national level exercise beginning this week while continuing to support ongoing real-world missions.

National Level Exercise 2-08 will run May 1 to 8 and will exercise national capabilities to prepare and respond to multiple incidents including both natural disasters and terrorist incidents. The exercise will include hurricane preparedness and response and Defense Support to Civil Authorities coordination in response to a weapon of mass destruction terrorist attack.

USTRANSCOM will demonstrate and assess its Joint Task Force - Port Opening capability and respond to mass casualty scenarios through aerial evacuation of patients. All command and control activities for USTRANSCOM's participation will take place at Scott AFB, Ill., and will be conducted while performing ongoing support to the war on terrorism, and other global distribution and transportation activities.

"We will be forced to flex and balance requirements for the exercise with real-world mission support," said Army Maj. Gen. Charles Fletcher, director of operations and plans for USTRANSCOM. "The exercise scenarios require response to a hurricane, and terrorist attacks... allowing us to assess some of our developing initiatives, while using capabilities proven through our support to troops around the world and applied here in our homeland."

JTF-PO is an expeditionary initiative to improve USTRANSCOM's ability to respond to contingency events. It is a joint [comprised of people from multiple services] organization that can be deployed rapidly to assess, establish and initially operate a port of debarkation. The aerial port capability has been developed and fielded. The seaport capability is being developed and assessed. Both will be tested in this national level exercise.

The Global Patient Movement Requirement Center is operational 24/7 supporting the medical evacuation of patients from Southwest Asia and other regions. NLE 2-08 will call for the GPMRC to apply its skills and abilities for homeland Defense Support of Civil Authorities by rapidly responding to a mass casualty event in the northwest.

NLE 2-08 will also involve agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, U.S. Northern Command and the National Guard. Canada Command will participate through its Staunch Maple exercise.

USTRANSCOM, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is responsible for creating and implementing world-class global deployment and distribution solutions in support of president, secretary of defense, and combatant commander-assigned missions. The command provides air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense, both in time of peace and time of war.
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Command plays a major role in national exercise

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