Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., erect Alaskan Shelter sleeping quarters at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The two units are joining forces to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

After going up the ladder, looking down, and realizing I would have 0 hands on the ladder while staining... I knew that falling into metal spiral stairs would be REALLY FSCKING PAINFUL. Fortunately, being a horder, I had all the couch cushions left over from the last 3 couches we trashed. These were shoved in between the steps, to provide a contingency plan: If falling, bounce and bruise -- don't break bones!

BACKSTORY: Anyone who reads our contract (link below) can see that it specified to move the closet and built-in shelves. But Virginia Design Builders's workers -- the workers hired by Daniel M. Lopez -- were unable to properly move the closet without destroying it. And they "accidentally" threw away our shelves. They also broke the trim at the edge of the closet.

And then guess what? The asshole refused to stain the broken trim (and everythign else they broke/threw away too) to match the pre-existing color, leaving US with the job of restoring what they broke to the condition it was in before broken. Months of wood-staining hell thanks to the inability of Daniel M. Lopez's company to follow simple contractual instructions, as well as a total lack of honor in fully restoring damaged sections to their pre-damaged condition. We called the broken trim "Mt. Trim", because it was the hardest spot to physical reach in the entire house -- and we had to go up there 10+ times to stain it.

STAINING IS A PAIN: Just for reference, proper wood staining is a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR pain in the ass. The wood filling, the sanding, the pre-conditioning, staining, the wiping, the dropcloths, the multiple coats of everything, the (4) polyurethane coats [which often required holding a lamp in one hand, to reflect light on it to ensure evenness], and the final sanding. And don't get me started on the timing: Stain 20 minutes after pre-conditioning, but only for 2 hours; stain in 20 minute cycles consisting of 4 sub-cycles: stain area #1, stain area #2, wipe area #1, wipe area #2. Then break, get new gloves, and start over. A 20 minute cycle might equal 2 shelves, or 2 boards from ceiling to floor. Our spreadsheet had over 200 cells. At the end of the day, the only way to get stain off your skin was to apply paint thinner directly to your skin in violation of the instructions, common sense, and one's best interests...

wood staining.

carpet, cushions, spiral stairs.

downstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

June 23, 2007.

... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com

LEGAL: To see an official VA DPOR sanction of $500 (+$150) against Dan Lopez and Virginia Design Builders: www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/filedump/2008/daniel-m-lop... ... These people were suing him for $400K last time I checked.To see OUR contract with Dan Lopez / Virginia Design Builders: www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/filedump/2008/daniel-m-lop... ... Just in case anybody doesn't believe me.icture, pool table, sandpaper, scissors.

upstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

June 4, 2007.

... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com

Current Status RETIRED

P.S several are still in contingency fleet and IN SERVICE

Transportation and Traffic Management Plan Contingency Engineers during the operation of the Homeboy Industries 5 km Run Race Course Route located at Solano Canyon Los Angeles, California 90012.

This is where L.A. Chinatown Firecracker 10k run race route continues to Elysian Park uphill, Dodger Stadium, back to finish line.

洛杉磯中國城唐人街華埠十公里火爆竹跑比賽會在北百老滙街同埋蘇蘭樓道十字路口交叉口交通紅綠燈信號機由十公里跑步者路線比賽在此一直走然後轉左在泊路道上山往伊來筍公園觀光道然後道奇體育球場所地點返回程華埠終點結束完畢站場

________________________________________________

This is the 5k Run Race Route of the Homeboy - Homeboyle Industries Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Naud Industrial Junction and Outer Los Angeles State Historic Park.

這裡是5公里小家子 (家仔) 工業跑步比賽路線跑往洛杉磯華埠, 蘇蘭諾山峽谷, 諾德工業樞紐及外洛杉磯州立歷史公園區.

________________________________________________

#chinatownla #lachinatown #chinatownlosangeles #losangeleschinatown #solanocanyon #solanocanyonlosangeles #northbroadway #broadwaysolanoavenue #solanoavenueandbroadway #solanoavenue #elysianpark #losangelesstatehistoricalpark #firecrackerla #firecracker10k #firecracker10krun #firecracker10k2019 #homeboy #homeboyindustries #homeboy5k #homeboy5krun @lachinatown

powered and switched off modification controlled by Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Special Traffic Operations, Traffic and Transportation Management Plan, and Program Contingency Engineers during the operation for the Los Angeles Marathon Mile 2 from the Start Line of Dodger Stadium to the Avenue of the Stars Race Course Route in Century City Finish Line replaced the Santa Monica Finish Line of its extended race course route to the Sea of Santa Monica Bay next to Pacific Ocean, College Street intersection traffic signal red lights, left turn protected permissive green yellow lights and pedestrian crosswalk crossing don't walk orange hand lights, Chinatown Central Plaza Mid-Block Pedestrian Crosswalk Crossing traffic signal red yellow green straight arrow lights, Bernard Street intersection of the intersections traffic signal green yellow red lights, left turn protected permissive green yellow arrow lights, pedestrian crosswalk crossing white walking person lights and don't walk orange hand lights located at Won Won Mini Market in Chinatown Los Angeles, California 90012 where this intersection is frequently used and it is so busy periodically.

This is the continuous route for the Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 10k run race route where it passes through Dodger Stadium Sunset Gate A, Pasadena Freeway State Highway Junction Route CA-110 Arroyo Seco Parkway and Stadium Way Gate in Solano Canyon Downtown Los Angeles, California 90012.

洛杉磯中國城華埠北百老滙街及奧德街

旺旺 Won-Won Mini Market Inc.

This is the continuous Ciclavia Heart of Los Angeles Car-Free Open-Streets Bicycle Route

@chinatownla @lachinatown @chinatownlosangeles @losangeleschinatown @wonwonminimarket @LAMarathon @LosAngelesMarathon

#northbroadway #broadway #ordstreet #northbroadwayandordstreet #broadwayandordstreet #lamarathon #losangelesmarathon #lamarathonstadiumtothestars #stadiumtothestars #chinatownlosangeles #chinatownla #lagoldendragonparade #goldendragonparade #wonwonminimarket #lachinatown #chinatownlosangeles #losangeleschinatown #northbroadway #broadwayord #ordbroadway #westordstreet #wonwonminimarket #LAMarathon #LosAngelesMarathon #lamarathonstadiumtothestars #stadiumtothestars

A paratrooper assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, charges up the stairs of a building during live fire training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA), MUHAMMAD SANI SIDI AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE HANDING OVER AND VALIDATION TABLE TOP SIMULATION EXERCISE OF THE NIGERIAN CIVIL AND MILITARY PANDEMIC INFLUENZA RESPONSE PLANS AND THE MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES DISASTER CONTINGENCY PLAN AT THE TRANSCORP HILTON ABUJA 14TH - 22ND, NOVEMBER 2013.

PROTOCOL.

It is my pleasure and honor to formally welcome you all to this important event of the opening ceremony of the unveiling of the National Influenza Pandemic Disaster Response Plan and the Military Pandemic Disaster Contingency Plan by NEMA, the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) and other stakeholders. This event also involves the Validation Table Top Simulation Exercise and the Development of 5-year Strategic Work Plan events for emergency response stakeholders in Nigeria. In this regards, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and indeed the Federal Government and the good people of Nigeria stretches their arms of fellowship and solidarity to welcome His Excellency, the USA Ambassador to Nigeria, officials of AFRICOM, the Centre for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and all the relevant arms of the United Nations here present. The Agency sincerely appreciates all your efforts towards the success of this very important exercise.

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, going down memory lane, in 1918, the world experienced the Spanish influenza pandemic that claimed over twenty (20) million lives. The figure as it were, was more than the total number of deaths recorded in the course of World War 1. The current global alert of a possible influenza pandemic likely to be caused by a novel virus makes it imperative for every nation to prepare in advance its response mechanisms for such a catastrophe. While it is obvious that no nation is immune to disasters and pandemic crises, it is equally alarming that such emergencies are not restricted by international boundaries or frontiers. This, therefore, calls for conscious planning, and response preparedness and enhanced international cooperation as signified by this very important event we are witnessing today.

Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, you will recall, that in October 2011 at the Eko Suites, Victoria Island Lagos, the USAFRICOM and the Center for Disease and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine in partnership with NEMA conducted a Pandemic Disaster Response Table Top Simulation Exercise; “the Draft Pandemic Influenza Disaster Response Plan”. This plan was earlier drafted by the Federal Ministry of Health, National Stakeholders and other relevant arms of the UN system based in Nigeria at Kaduna by 2009. The exercise was followed up by an after-action review meeting which was conducted to make necessary corrections to the Draft National Influenza Pandemic Disaster Response Plan from lessons learnt and was immediately followed by a meeting to draft the Military Pandemic Disaster Contingency Plan in Abuja 28th – 29th November, 2012. This exercise was also preceded by the drafting of the Military Support to Civilian Authorities Disaster Contingency Plan that also took place in Abuja 15th – 18th April, 2013. A validation meeting of the three plans was then carried out by very senior strategic officers of NEMA, the Defence Headquarters, the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in Washington DC between 23rd – 27th September, 2013. Today’s presentation and validation exercise marks the successful accomplishment of this tortuous but onerous task that is critical to our national preparedness and disaster resilience.

NEMA in line with its mandate of coordinating disaster management in Nigeria is always willing to provide the leading role for a coherent, integrated and coordinated mechanism that enhances unity of purpose and synergy amongst its stakeholders. In this regards, the provision of the mechanisms for epidemiological information, integrated communication strategy and a well articulated emergency response as contained in the Pandemic Response Plan being presented today by USAFRICOM is quite commendable. You will all agree with me that failure to develop such response plan can be disastrous for any nation; the outbreak of pandemic influenza will not only lead to illnesses and death of persons but also impact negatively on all aspects of national well-being and translate into broader negative socio-economic consequences. Needless to add, that the vulnerable groups which in most cases are usually the aged, women and children are more likely to be at a higher risk and thereby facing greater consequences arising from the outbreak of pandemics. Similarly, the limited awareness to disaster risk reduction information in developing countries like ours has further compounded the challenges associated with pandemic influenza thereby making today’s exercise quite apt, timely and imperative.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, let me use this opportunity to express my gratitude to USAID, the USAFRICOM, the UN system and all other National and International partners and collaborators that have committed their valuable time and resources to ensure the successful accomplishment of the Pandemic Response Plan. May I, specifically, convey my sincere appreciation to the Honourable Ministers of Health, Defence, Foreign Affairs, the Chief of Defence Staff, His Excellency, the American Ambassador in Nigeria and all the distinguished guests here present including members of the press that graced this occasion despite your tight schedules. Permit me to also to express my sincere gratitude to our national partners especially the Military, the Nigeria Police, the NSCDC, the Federal Fire Service, the State SEMAs, the academia and several others too numerous to mention here for the continuous unflinching support and solidarity. For our International partners, I wish to once more sincerely thank you for tasking yourselves to ensure the successful accomplishment of this endeavor and travelling long distances to witness the presentation to the Pandemic Response Plan. This indeed is a rare demonstration of a sustainable international cooperation and solidarity to make the world a more resilient and safer place for all of us.

Thank you all and God Bless.

Soldiers present and post the colors of the 4th Infantry Division during the division’s color casing ceremony in a hangar, Oct. 20, 2011 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. The "Ivy Division" completed its yearlong Operation New Dawn deployment, spending a year commanding and controlling United States Division-North and Task Force Iron Horse. The 4th Infantry Division controlled approximately 49,000 square miles, covering the area between Baghdad and the Iraq-Turkey border.

Capt. Jeff Clark, an airfield management officer from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, measures the flight line to determine an aircraft parking plan at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre

With training for contingency ops a priority, the need to train in all weathers is exemplified by soldiers on the 3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre. Being able to do your job in the cold or the heat is paramount so the weather provided the perfect training opportunity!

Photo credit to read - Cpl Ross Fernie RLC Crown Copyright

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Manoj Khatiwada, 21st Medical Operations Squadron aerospace medical technician, stands in the terminal at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, May 8, 2015. Manoj joined a team from the 36th Contingency Response Group to assist U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development operations by assisting with communicating with the Nepalese Army as they process relief supplies following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the region April 25, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa White/Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Captain Rodney Saunders, head emergency room nurse, 256th Combat Support Hospital, explains CSH trauma room procedures to 1st Lt. Ayyub, a nurse assigned to the Iraqi Air Force Academy Clinic at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Aug. 9, 2011. Saunders, who hails from Fredricktown, Ohio, explained to his Iraqi counterpart, that in order to serve their patients in life threatening situations, they must maintain rigid organization of equipment.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Ruehling, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., waits to marshal out a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft on Geronimo landing zone during a field exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), Fort Polk, La., Jan. 16, 2014. Service members at JRTC 14-03 are educated in combat patient care and aeromedical evacuation in a simulated combat environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Smith/Released)

CORAL SEA (Aug. 3, 2017) The Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet military sealift command underway replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194) conducts a vertical replenishment of shipboard supplies with the amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20). Green Bay, part of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to enhance partnerships and be a ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sarah Myers/Released)

Staff Sgt. Ebony Spann and Sgt. Ricky Tucker tape steps on the side of command vehicle platform as part of a joint inspection prior to participation in U.S. Army Africa’s Contingency Command Post deployment exercise, Aug. 8-12. Spann and Tucker and the CCP team of more than 20 Soldiers and civilians participated in an exercise that validated the use, operation and deployment of an expeditionary command post.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Louie Lacsina, 36th Mobility Response Squadron air transportation specialist, unloads vehicles from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, May 5, 2015. The 36th CRG is a rapid-deployment unit designed to establish and maintain airfield operations in a forward operating location and joined U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa White/Released)

Spc. Soledad Siordia, a driver with Bravo Company, 1-185th Armor (Combined Arms Battalion), 81st Brigade Combat Team, California Army National Guard, conducts maintenance on a vehicle Feb. 5 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. About 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in August. They are scheduled to return home this summer

Lt. Gen. Peter M. Vangjel, the Inspector General of the United States Army, visited 401st AFSB Nov 18. for a briefing on RPAT operations and a tour of the facility.

About the 401st:

The 401st Army field Support Brigade provides Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines, the tools and resources necessary to complete the mission. If they shoot, drive it, fly it, wear it, eat it or communicate with it, the 401st helps provide it. The brigade assists coalition partners with many of their logistical and sustainment needs. The brigade also handles the responsible disposition of equipment in Afghanistan to support evolving missions. We are the single link between Warfighters in the field, and working through Army Sustainment Command, we leverage Army Materiel Command’s worldwide Materiel Enterprise to develop, deliver, and sustain materiel to ensure a dominant joint force for the U.S. and our Allies.

For More information please visit us online:

401st AFSB Facebook

Army Sustainment Command

Army Materiel Command

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Iraqi Police from the Aruba IP Station unload boxes of supplies for children at al Fadallah Elementary school during the school’s reopening ceremony March 14, 2011. Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan., deployed to U.S. Division-North in support of Operation New Dawn, supported the IPs efforts to refurbish the school house, providing a better learning environment for children in Kirkuk.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kandi Huggins, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Private 1st Class Anthony Richardson, an infantryman serving with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, speaks with a Kurdish boy while on a combined security forces patrol in Kirkuk City, Iraq, March 8, 2011. Richardson, along with the rest of Company A, conduct combined operations with the Kirkuk expanded Combined Security Force, an Iraqi Security Forces unit comprised of Iraqi Army soldiers, Kurdish Regional Guard and Iraqi Policemen.

(U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. Steven Sierras, Company A, 2nd Bn., 12th Cav. Regt., 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div.)

FORT POLK, La. --An aircraft maintenance technician assigned to the 570th Contingency Response Group from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., guides a C-130J Hercules out of his parking spot at Geronimo Landing Zone, Fort Polk La., Oct 17, 2012. The CRG was supporting Joint Readiness Training Exercise Decisive Action. The exercise includes emphasis on joint forcible entry, phased deployment with an airborne parachute operation, a combined noncombatant evacuation, combine arms maneuver, wide area security, unconventional warfare and unified land operations in a joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres) (Released)

3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre

With training for contingency ops a priority, the need to train in all weathers is exemplified by soldiers on the 3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre. Being able to do your job in the cold or the heat is paramount so the weather provided the perfect training opportunity!

Photo credit to read - Cpl Ross Fernie RLC Crown Copyright

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – An Iraqi Air Force Helicopter launches simulated missiles at an objective at Khor Al Zubair, April 28, during Operation Lions Leap, the largest joint-military exercise in Iraqi Security Forces history. The one-hour exercise, which utilized Iraqi Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Forces assets, demonstrated the progress that ISF have made in the last several years of working with U.S and other Coalition Forces. (Photo by Sgt. James Kennedy Benjamin)

Congratulations.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Sergeant Simon Hernandez, left, a human resources specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, receives a coin of excellence from Command Sgt. Maj. Antoine Overstreet, senior enlisted advisor of 4th AAB, 1st Cav. Div., after winning his bout during a “Boxing Smoker” at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 6, 2011. Hernandez, a native of San Antonio, participated in the event hosted for “Long Knife” Soldiers before they redeploy to Fort Hood, Texas, later this summer.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Terence Ewings, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

Pictured:

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

Pictured: Okehampton Camp and 'tent city'

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

KUCHING, Malaysia (April 3, 2019) – Royal Australian Army Lt. Col. Maree Derrick writes down disaster crisis management contingencies during a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief tabletop exercise at Sarawak State Library as part of Pacific Partnership 2019. The exercise allowed civilian and military officials to discuss policies and procedures for responding to various stages of natural disasters and emergencies. Pacific Partnership, now in its 14th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Each year the mission team works collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicholas Burgains) 190403-N-AZ808-1063

** Interested in following U.S. Indo-Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/indopacom | twitter.com/INDOPACOM |

www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq – Soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, arrive at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq to begin Day Zero at the Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center Sept. 5, 2011. Soldiers during the September rotation were the first group to receive all of their training from a dedicated Iraqi cadre, marking the first of its kind at GWTC since U.S.-led training in January. (U.S. Army photo by: Spc. Brandon A. Bednarek, 4th AAB, 1st Armored Div., Public Affairs, USD-North)

Paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, provide over-watch and fire support during live fire training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

Flight Medic.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Capt. Kim Walter a operations officer serving with 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, then a Sgt. 1st Class flight medic serving with 50th Medical Company, 101st Airborne Division, also known as the Air Ambulance unit, stands in front of her U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in Taji, Iraq, 2004, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. While deployed as a flight medic, her job was to support medical evacuations by helicopter. Walter credits her military experience in helping to ensure 101st BSB succeeds during her current deployment in support of Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo courtesy of Capt. Kim Walter, 101st BSB, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

Photographer - Cpl Wes Calder RLC

Pictured - A Fire Support Team(FST) from 26 Royal Artillery calling in Mortar and Artillery fire from an elevated position.

Exercise BAVARIAN CHARGER is the first of three large contingency operation exercises being undertaken by 20th Armoured Brigade between May – October 2013. Contingency Operations training is known as Hybrid Foundation Training or HFT.

The aim of this exercise is to train the 5 Rifles, The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG) Battle Groups and 1 Logistic Support Regiment in combined arms manoeuvre.

The exercise is split into 3 main phases. The first phase consists of a two week live firing exercise in Grafenwoer, Southern Germany, that enables the units and soldiers to refine their skills with their equipment and weapons. Training is constructed to develop skills from the individual level through to the Battlegroup level and culminates in a final attack that sees the use of helicopters, tanks, artillery and infantry combined.

The second phase will see all the exercising units transition from Grafenwoer to Hohnfels, some 100 km further south and simulates the kind of movements that are undertaken when moving an Armed force into hostile territory.

The third, and final phase is designed to test the planning and execution of combined arms manoeuvre operations in a hostile environment. The units will execute orders based on the delivery of Brigade Orders to defeat the enemy within the scenario.

2100 personnel with upto 768 vehicles ranging from Landrover, to Tanks to Apache helicopters are being exercised from 20th Armoured Brigade whose Headquarters are based in Sennelager, Germany. Approximately 500 personnel are required to support those training to ensure that supplies are maintained, vehicles are fixed and soldiers fed.

NOTE TO DESKS:

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All images remain crown copyright.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Wes Calder RLC

Email: wescalder@mediaops.army.mod.uk

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Gen. Mark A. Milley, left, the 39th Chief of Staff United States Army, walks with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Commander Col. Gregory Anderson, during a tour of the brigadeâs headquarters building at Caserma Del Din in Vicenza, Italy Oct. 27, 2016. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands areas of responsibility within 18 hours. (U.S. Army photo by Visual Information Specialist Paolo Bovo/released)

Complete Idiot's Guide To Understanding Einstein. When he gets done he's gonna solve that whole unified field theory thingie.

Shanna, local bartender and NPR (Jefferson Public Radio, Ashland, Oregon) Radio Host, had a cheesy Christmas sweater party last weekend.

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offload equipment from a C-130 Hercules aircraft at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Loadmasters from the 1st Special Operations Squadron tie down bundles before takeoff July 19, 2015 at Andersen Air Base, Guam. Members from the 353rd Special Operations Group worked with the 36th Contingency Response Group from Andersen Air Base, Guam, to open Wake Island air field after Typhoon Halola passed through the island. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Kristine Dreyer)

U.S.Air Force personnel from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., off load cargo from a Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., C-17 Globemaster III, Jan. 15, 2010, at the Port-au-Princce airport in support relief efforts to Haiti in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua L. DeMotts)

As part of the ongoing Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance (ACOTA) program, Sgt. 1st Class Grady Hyatt, USARAF ACOTA military mentor, train members of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces to conduct peacekeeping operations in Darfur.

Photo by U.S. Army Africa

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

Nepalese army soldiers and U.S. Air Force 36th Contingency Response Group Airmen work with Republic of Singapore Air Force members to unload relief supplies from an RSAF C-130 Hercules May 9, at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Nepalese army and Airmen worked together to process 537,816 pounds of cargo in a 24-hour period from 13 aircraft delivering relief supplies delivered in response to a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the nation April 25. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White/Released)

Army Spc. Brandon Glaspie and Army Pfc. Loura Wiggs of the U.S. 689th Army’s Rapid Port Opening Element in Fort Eustis, Va., direct the placement of a pallet of disaster-relief supplies onto a flat-bed truck at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 7, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The Soldiers were working at the forward node of a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, where relief supplies that arrive by air are staged for further movement over land by trucks. The Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group operated the airlift side of the JTF-PO, known as an Aerial Port of Debarkation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Gen. Mark A. Milley, center, the 39th Chief of Staff United States Army, walks with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Commander, Col. Gregory Anderson, during a tour of the brigadeâs headquarters building at Caserma Del Din in Vicenza, Italy Oct. 27, 2016. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands areas of responsibility within 18 hours. (U.S. Army photo by Visual Information Specialist Paolo Bovo/released)

Gen. Mark A. Milley, right center, the 39th Chief of Staff United States Army, walks with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Commander, Col. Gregory Anderson, left, during a tour of the brigadeâs headquarters building at Caserma Del Din in Vicenza, Italy Oct. 27, 2016. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands areas of responsibility within 18 hours. (U.S. Army photo by Visual Information Specialist Paolo Bovo/released)

Members of the 36th Contingency Response group board a C-17 Globemaster III destined for Kathmandu, Nepal, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 4, 2015. The CRG will join U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Ashley Conner/Released)

44th Baltimore LGBTQ Pride Parade March down North Charles Street in Baltimore MD on Saturday afternoon, 15 June 2019 by Elvert Barnes Photography

BGE EXELON Contingency

www.facebook.com/myBGE/posts/2720519397959143

Elvert Barnes 44th Baltimore LGTBQ Pride 2019 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/BmoreGayPride2019.html

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17’s are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. SSgt Brandon Pelfey, assigned to the 571 Golbal Mobility Readiness Squadron, says goodbye to his baby daughter before he makes his departure. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

ORLANDO, Fla. - In today’s complex and high tempo operational environment, America’s Army Reserve to rapidly deploy highly trained units to any corner of the world with the personnel and equipment they have on hand. With multiple contingencies and numerous potential threats capable of employing cutting-edge tactics with modern military equipment, the Army Reserve looks to its premiere sustainers such the 143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) to lead, train and equip its 10,000-Soldier command.

In taking the first, major step toward achieving this vital mission, the 143d ESC conducted a Mission Training Brief Feb. 2-3, 2018, at the command’s headquarters in Orlando, Fla.

“An MTB promotes cohesion through collaboration,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Walter L. Flinn, commander, 332nd Transportation Terminal Battalion. “It offers a forum for commanders to share their successes and shortcomings while seeking and offering guidance among their fellow leaders.”

Led by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Deborah L. Kotulich, commanding general, 143d ESC, the MTB featured dozens of senior leaders from the company to the ESC level whose wealth of knowledge and experience offered solutions to a myriad of logistical challenges.

“The expectation of having several months to bring your Soldiers up to speed at a pre-mobilization station is coming to an end,” Kotulich announced to dozens of battalion and brigade commanders and command sergeants majors huddled in the conference room. “We must assume that we will mobilize at a moment’s notice, and it’s our responsibility that we physically and mentally prepare every Soldier for the rigors of combat through realistic training.”

Kotulich expects every downtrace unit to spend less time in classrooms and more time in the field. This focus on individual and collective readiness stems from the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s Ready Force X initiative.

“Ready Force X is the Army Reserve’s answer to the [U.S.] Army’s demand for properly equipped and highly trained Soldiers who can rapidly deploy into combat,” said U.S. Army Col. Wanda Williams, commander, 641st Regional Sustainment Group. “Almost half of the 143d ESC’s downtrace units must meet the strict criteria established by Ready Force X’s “Fight Fast” mentality. This MTB offers precious time for commanders to obtain timely information needed to properly execute the numerous requirements to maintain a constantly high state of readiness.”

While Kotulich entrusts her fellow officers to formulate plans and carry out the Army Reserve’s “Fight Fast” initiative, she relies on her command sergeants major to refine the tasks required to carry out their commanding general’s intent.

“There are 43 individual training requirements that every unit must complete before reporting to a pre-mobilization site,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos O. Lopes, command sergeant major, 143d ESC. “As NCOs, we are responsible for providing effective training that ensures every Soldier has mastered these fundamental skills that directly determine one’s survivability on the battlefield.”

“NCOs can only do this if they understand their commanders’ intent,” added Command Sgt. Maj. Kenyatta S. Stamps, command sergeant major, 787th Combat Support and Sustainment Battalion. “The MTB allows us to hear those intentions firsthand and develop effective techniques and tactics to achieve them.”

These techniques and tactics encompass a variety of tasks that enhance speed, agility and sustained readiness at the individual, team and unit level. From warrior drills to medical readiness, commanders must meticulously manage finite time and resources to crystallize the Army Reserve’s strategic vision and implement the 143d ESC’s operational mission.

“Ready Force X is about leadership, energy and execution,” said Flinn. “Commanders must own the responsibility for readiness. Establishing an open dialog among senior leaders remains paramount to understanding not only what we do but how we do it.”

With more than half of the 143d ESC falls under the Ready Force X umbrella, every unit and Soldier must face the challenges if they are to reap the awards of transforming America’s Army Reserve into the most lethal and capable federal reserve force in U.S. history.

“America demands highly trained and proficient Soldiers, and the Army Reserve is blessed to have motivated men and women ready to endure the hardships inherent in armed conflict,” said Williams. “That’s why I tell my Soldiers, ‘Don’t worry about the names. Just be ready. Be ready now!”

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John L. Carkeet IV, 143d ESC

Cpl. Brett Love, with the Force Protection Company, 81st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, takes a break from training during a visit from Col. Ronald Kapral, the commander of the 81st BCT, and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Sweeney, the command sergeant major of the 81st BCT, Feb. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Q-West, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.

CONTINGENCIES

softness of textures gather

coloured shapes coming together

woven fabric and interlaced fibres

are for cotton, canvas and flax transcribers

of junctures, spontaneities, immediacies

conjuntures, fortuities, contingencies

..........

CONTINGENZE

morbide trame si adunano

forme colorate si uniscono

tessuto intrecciato e fibre intessute

sono per cotone, tela e lino trascrittori

di giunzioni, spontaneità, immediatezze

congiunzioni, fortuità, contingenze

..........

KONTINGENZEN

Weichheit der Texturen sammeln

farbige Formen kommen zusammen

Gewebe und verflochtene Fasern

sind für Baumwolle, Leinwand und Flachs Transkriptoren

von Zeitpunkten, Spontaneitäten, Unmittelbarkeiten

Konjunkturen, Zufälligkeiten, Eventualitäten

An aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group marshals cargo at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group create an aircraft parking plan at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)