VALEX April 2021
Chapter XIX supplied role players to prepare members of the 404th Civil Affairs (ABN), deployment to AFRICOM AOR. Chapter Members were involved with the scenarios and rehearsed with other Chapter Members via phone conferences.
The exercise encompassed: Coordinate Populace Control Operations for Company, Coordination of Resource Control Operations for CA Company and Support Foreign Humanitarian Assistance Operations for Company. The teams had to react to 2 to 3 injects daily along with completing trip tickets, OPSUMs and storyboards of their missions. After each civil engagement an AAR was conducted. Discussed planning for the mission, the understanding of the problem, approach to the problem and how they could improve for future operations. The hot washes were conducted with the role players being present and the most important feedback the teams received was from the role players on their perspective of how the team was received by them and whether or not they felt understood or even insulted.
Throughout the exercise we observed the teams grow in their capacity to operate and we didn’t observe any Soldier that we thought was not an asset. During the exercise, it was brought to out that some of the Team Chiefs had just recently become CA qualified and due to their qualification training being virtual, they had never experienced face to face interactions in stressful scenarios before. This fact underlined the importance of this exercise.
Command and Staff stated Chapter XIX members provided valuable training due to their prior SF experience and want to continue using them in the future. This took place at Joint Base Maguire/Dix/Lakehurst.
Bob Leicht represents the International Red Cross at odds with a 404th member representing Doctors Without Borders. Al Smith giving critique post op.
Tom Besser portrayed the Governor and desires security and water. Harry Adams representing a Norwegian Non-Government Organization negotiating the use of his loading dock equipment.
Tim Davis portrayed the mayor who desperately needs water and security. John Welgos was an African Major.
