NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Military Department, in conjunction with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and more than 30 other partnering agencies, is conducting a disaster response exercise throughout Tennessee, May 12-18. Named “Vigilant Guard 2025,” the exercise gives participants the opportunity to activate and employ their response plans to improve mission command, relationships, and interoperability among federal, state, and local agencies.
Co-sponsored by the United States Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau, the exercise allows National Guardsmen from Tennessee, along with those from Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, the ability to command a statewide response to a major disaster in coordination with the Tennessee and Mississippi Emergency Management Agencies.
“These exercises, where we operate jointly and with various emergency responders, are crucial to our organization’s readiness,” said Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s Adjutant General. “The more we work alongside one another, the more we fine-tune our policies and procedures. Building these relationships are vital to our effectiveness, and continuing to practice what we do will make all of us much better when it’s time to respond to the real thing.”
More than 30 agencies are participating, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, and the Nashville Fire Department’s Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team. These agencies with be participating in training events at sites across Tennessee to include Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City, Cleece’s Ferry Boat Ramp in Nashville, Fort Memphis Fire Department Training Center, Milan’s Volunteer Training Site, Millington-Memphis Airport, Paris Landing State Park, and others.
This year’s exercise scenario is based on a 7.5 magnitude earthquake occurring along the New Madrid Seismic Zone near Tipton County. Exercise participants will work together to respond to numerous situations and conduct search and rescue, critical site security, and infrastructure failure response. All events will be coordinated through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and local emergency agencies.
Due to the exercise, the public may notice a higher military presence in some areas throughout the state, primarily Davidson, Hardin, Madison, Rutherford, and Shelby counties. The Tennessee Air National Guard will be employing an MQ-9 “Reaper,” which is a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System that will be flying over the exercise sites to perform damage assessments and route reconnaissance as part of the overall exercise. The Tennessee Military Department will also host media during certain events to demonstrate capabilities. The media are invited to the following training exercises:
– May 14: Swift water rescue training in Hardin County (Near Wolf Island in Crump)
– May 15: Hospital evacuation exercise in Obion County (Baptist Memorial Hospital in Union City)
– May 16: Bridging operations in Davidson County (Cleece’s Ferry Boat Ramp at Cumberland River)