MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS
NEWS RELEASE

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

Maj. Yvonne Mays at 609-530-6939/cell 609-847-6093 or

Kryn P. Westhoven at 609-530-6950/cell 609-847-2215

      After six months of distance learning, 42 New Jersey National Guard Soldiers and Airmen defied the elements to complete the Joint Force Headquarters/Joint Task Force Staff Training Course on Feb. 7.

 

      The training, which is geared toward dealing with natural or manmade disasters, ended up mirroring reality when snows inundated New Jersey making it nearly impossible to hold the class. Defying the elements, 31 Soldiers and 11 Airmen, along with two Airmen from the New York Air National Guard traveled from across the state to Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Lawrenceville to attend the final training segment.

 

      Hosted by National Guard Bureau and North American Air Defense-Northern Command (NORAD-NORTHCOM) personnel, the training combined table-top exercises and traditional classroom instruction to bring together the various elements covered in the distance-learning portion of the class.

 

      The training is geared toward Joint Force Headquarters/Joint Task Force Staff members supporting State, Federal, and Dual status missions.

 

      While the group was a small compared to the greater population of New Jersey Army and Air National Guard, with the increase in dual missions, this training will become more important and widespread.

 

      “Everyone will eventually be getting some form of this training,” said Col. Kevin C. Hegarty, HSCOE Operations and Training.