ST. ALBANS, W.Va. –
Twelve West Virginia National Guard Army Interagency Training and Education Center (AITEC) Soldiers were activated today to assist the National Guard Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., in response efforts for Hurricane Michael.
The Soldiers will provide subject matter expertise in disaster response, future operations, continuity, and building, maintaining and fact checking information for high-level decision makers to support those who have been affected by the disaster.
“We have a large pool of very well trained subject matter experts when it comes to disaster response,” said Army Maj. Christopher Parker, Executive Officer for AITEC’s CBRNE Battalion.
“We’re just very pleased to do this,” he continued. “As National Guard, we have all signed up to support our communities, but in the long run, if the nation needs support, it’s great for us to hop in there wherever it is needed and do whatever is necessary to use the training we have to help people.”
The Army Interagency Training and Education Center is the National Guard Bureau lead for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high-yield Explosives (CBRNE) and Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) training. The unit is an active National Guard unit supporting training and education utilizing a cadre of military and civilian subject matter experts for homeland defense and civil support activities.
This is the second time AITEC Soldiers have been activated to assist with hurricane response efforts in the past month, having supported the National Guard Bureau’s NGCC during the devastating effects of Hurricane Florence.