ELMENDORF AFB, Alaska -- Joint Task Force-Alaska, JTF-AK, the standing military headquarters for homeland defense within Alaska, conducted a deployment exercise Jan. 11-12 at the Port of Anchorage using a 120-person Quick Reaction Force.
Exercise VIGILANT PORT, which used elements of Fort Richardson’s Task Force 1-501 Airborne, rehearsed JTF-AK’s mission of protecting Department of Defense assets within Alaska and examined the joint military and interagency cooperation between DoD, the United States Coast Guard and the Port of Anchorage.
This exercise was conducted by U.S. Northern Command, which was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a two-fold mission of homeland defense and civil support. Specifically, USNORTHCOM conducts operations to deter, prevent and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories and interests within the assigned area of responsibility. Additionally, as directed by the President or Secretary of Defense, the command provides military assistance to civil authorities, including consequence management operations, to help mitigate crisis situations.
According to Army Lt. Col. James DeMoss, JTF-AK plans officer, this was an opportunity to test JTF-AK’s ability to deploy a QRF to non-DoD property and coordinate with other federal, state and local agencies.
“The Port of Anchorage offered a realistic homeland defense venue to conduct our exercise,” said DeMoss. “This opportunity allowed us to test our ability to deploy the QRF and coordinate our specific mission with the efforts of other agencies.”
Last September, Anchorage was designated a strategic seaport following a joint assessment by the U.S. Maritime Administration, U.S. Army and the U.S. Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. Various military units use the port to onload and offload DoD assets.
According to Kevin Bruce, Port of Anchorage director of communications, the important element to the exercise was the chance to build and test interagency cooperation.
“The interaction between the military, Doyon Universal Security (the contract security force at the port), the U.S. Coast Guard and the Port (of Anchorage) was key,” said Bruce. “This effort was a chance to get to know and understand each other’s missions.”
The scenario for the exercise simulated terrorists operating in Alaska with a specific threat to the Port of Anchorage during the loading of military equipment.
While simulated law enforcement agencies were working together to defeat the threat, the exercise simulated the Secretary of Defense directing a deployment of active duty forces to provide security for DoD assets at the port. The forces remained in place until the threat to the property ended and the need for DoD forces was no longer required.
The QRF’s mission is to provide a flexible and responsive capability in the event of domestic threats and incidents. A QRF can be used to deter potential enemies and prevent them from attacking the U.S., defeat people who would attempt to do America harm and mitigate the adverse effects of an attack on the homeland.
The exercise proved a good starting point for future operations and agency coordination, according to JTF-AK officials.
“This exercise would not be the success it was without the cooperation, support and involvement of the QRF’s leaders and soldiers, U.S. Coast Guard members, officials from the Port of Anchorage and the Doyon security officers,” concluded DeMoss.