An Overview of the National Level Exercise 02-2008...

The citizen soldiers of the Washington National Guard have the sacred duty of safeguarding lives and property during times of State Emergency, and in an “All Hazards Paradise” like Washington State – that is a big job.  With numerous potential natural and man-made disasters, The Washington National Guard must be ready for anything.

How do we prepare for the unknown?  We train hard and plan – not just among ourselves but with local, state and federal jurisdictions that we’ll work with during times of State Emergency.

National Level Exercsie 02-2008 (NLE 02-08) is the third homeland security exercise in a series of annual exercises that began in May 2006.  NLE 02-08 is comprised of various training venues around the nation, which includes a northwest venue.  The exercises focus on interagency coordination, communication and response that include deployment of federal and state resources in support of the local agencies and jurisdictions.

This year’s exercise is largely centered around three training events. First, a terrorist attack in downtown Seattle that has severe consequences in loss of life, transportation systems, communication and the economy.  The Seattle venue will take place at Leschi Town at Fort Lewis – which is used as an urban training area.  The second exercise begins when a release of toxic chemicals occurs at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Umatilla, Oregon.  The last training exercise will occur in Whatcom County when a chemical tank truck carrying 4,000 gallons of methyl isocyanate explodes.

These training events give us the opportunity to get to know our counterparts in other agencies and have the opportunity to work closely with them.  It also gives participants a sense of each entities strengths and capabilities and how to leverage those to ultimately respond effectively.  The Washington National Guard continues to prepare for state emergencies, the 2010 Olympics and beyond.

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To view training and details of last year’s Regional Response 2007 exercise, click on the link below.  http://exercise.washingtonguard.org/rr07