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)

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

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:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain crown copyright.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Wes Calder RLC

Email: wescalder@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

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)

PHILIPPINE SEA (May 6, 2020) Sailors aboard the Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures ship USS Pioneer (MCM 9) recover a Mark 52 mine shape. Pioneer, part of Mine Countermeasures Squadron 7, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response platform for contingency operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Irving Garcia)

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.

One of the Phoenix Contingency at TBRU.

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)

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)

traffic signal flashing red lights powered off modification controlled by Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Special Traffic Operations and Traffic Management Plan Contingency Engineers followed by East Wind Youth Lion Troupe Dancers on performance Alpine Street, College Street, PED XING - Chinatown Central Plaza Mid-Block Pedestrian Crosswalk Crossing traffic signal flashing yellow lights switched off and Bernard Street intersection traffic signal flashing red lights modification controlled by LADOT Special Traffic Operations during the operation of the Los Angeles Chinatown Golden Dragon Parade located at 639 to 651 North Broadway in Chinatown Los Angeles, California 90012 between two towers of Jia Apartments 甲公寓 and Cathay Manor Senior Apartments 國泰莊園老人公寓, HSBC - Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation 香港上海滙豐銀行公司 (港滬銀), Teo Chew Association Temple 潮州會館廟 and BC Plaza 百昌商場.

Note: The new current G.D.P. route travelled Southbound Broadway and made a left turn at Eastbound West Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and ENDS at a right turn into Southbound Spring Street Olvera Street for parade floats disbanding zone since February 2007 to February 2012 but now this Golden Dragon Parade route on Southbound Broadway turns right to Westbound Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and ENDS at North Hill Street overpass bridge and North Grand Avenue for parade floats disbanding zone since February 2013 to present. The former G.D.P. route was on Northbound Broadway (ended here until 2000) from Cesar E. Chavez Avenue to Bernard Street and Southbound Hill Street at Ord Street took place here until 2006.

The former G.D.P. route was on Northbound Broadway (ended here until 2000) from Cesar E. Chavez Avenue to Bernard Street and Southbound Hill Street at Ord Street took place here until 2006.

美國加州都阿爾特市市長康佳琛及他的妻子坐車上在金龍大遊行巡遊會洛杉磯中國城華埠北百老滙街及奧德街

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group marshal equipment 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)

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)

Lighting up the sky.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – An Iraqi Army helicopter fires flares over an objective while a perimeter of vehicles establishes security during a live fire practice exercise for Operation Lion’s Leap, April 19. The Iraqi Army planned and completed the live fire exercise with success, while U.S. forces maintained an advise, assist, and train role. Operation Lion’s Leap showcases Iraq’s defensive capabilities with Iraqi Security Forces leading the planning effort.

(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Chad Ashe, USD-N PAO)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Specialist Gerald Sallis, a mortarman assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, ground-guides a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle prior to his final departure from Joint Security Station India, Iraq, Aug. 3, 2011. Sallis, a native of Chicago, assisted fellow 4th AAB Soldiers in transferring the base to the 2nd Iraqi Army Division.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angel Turner, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)

Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group prepare to unload cargo 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)

Colonel Winski pins CAB.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Colonel Brian Winski, commander, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, pins a Combat Action Badge on Spc. Patrick Colquitt during an awards ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, June 1, 2011. Colquitt, a native of Boaz, Ala., serves with 214th Military Police Company, an Alabama Army National Guard unit attached to Task Force Shield, 4th AAB. Soldiers of 214th MP Company were recognized with awards for completing their deployment in support of Operation New Dawn. Major Erik Peterson, operations officer for Task Force Shield, said the 214th MP Company provided a wealth of knowledge to Iraqi counterparts during the advise, train and assist mission, and invested resources to help make the Iraqi Police a better force.

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

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 Tech. Sgt. Alexander Klosterman, weather forcecaster, 123rd Contingency Response Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, establishes a TMQ 53 Tactical Meteorological Observing System (TMOS), a mobile weather station, during Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 22, in Nome, Alaska, Feb. 26, 2022. Joint Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022 increases the National Guard’s capacity to operate in austere, extreme cold-weather environments across Alaska and the Arctic region. AEP22 enhances the ability of military and civilian inter-agency partners to respond to a variety of emergency and homeland security missions across Alaska and the Arctic. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. LeAnne (Ian) Withrow

Maj. Ryan Adams (left), airflow operations officer for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, and Lt. Col. Bruce Bancroft, 123rd operations officer, monitor scheduled airlift missions from a mobile command post 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)

As part of the ongoing Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance (ACOTA) program, Sgt. 1st Class Grady Hyatt, USARAF ACOTA military mentor, talk to 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

The Sig Sauer P320C 9mm: polymer-framed pistol that's currently the most operator-safety focused striker duty pistol on the market today.

Contingency X Sig Sauer P320C Unboxing: youtu.be/BSQnWnBwlCo

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

Maj. Ryan Adams, airflow operations officer for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, monitors airlift missions from a mobile command post 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)

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal members along with U.S. Air Force 36th Contingency Response Group Airmen attached to Joint Task Force 505 work together to repair the runway at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, May 10, 2015. The Nepalese officials and Airmen teamed up to conduct necessary repairs to the airfield after it sustained damage following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the nation April 25. In response to the Nepal earthquake, the U.S. military sent Airmen, Marines, Soldiers and Sailors as part of JTF 505 to support the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission in Nepal at the direction of U.S. Agency for International Development. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White/Released)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Alexander Klosterman, weather forecaster, 123rd Contingency Response Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, leads a team in assembling a TMQ 53 Tactical Meteorological Observing System (TMOS) a mobile weather station, during Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 22, in Nome, Alaska, Feb. 26, 2022. Joint Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022 increases the National Guard’s capacity to operate in austere, extreme cold-weather environments across Alaska and the Arctic region. AEP22 enhances the ability of military and civilian inter-agency partners to respond to a variety of emergency and homeland security missions across Alaska and the Arctic. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. LeAnne (Ian) Withrow

'Doc' explains possible treatments for Soldier's aches and pains.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – 1st. Lt. Michael Lohse, the officer in charge of the Physical Therapy clinic at Contingency Operating Base Speicher suggests possible remedies for lower back pain to a patient Jan. 13, 2011. Lohse, of Ettrick, Wis., is one of two medical personnel assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital responsible for the operation of the COB Speicher Physical Therapy clinic. The 256th CSH, an Army Reserve unit based out of Twinsburg, Ohio, is responsible for three physical therapy clinics in U.S. Division North.

(U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Sergeant 1st Class Bobby “Smoke” Brewster, field artillery platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, Battery B, 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, reviews a maintenance checklist for an M198 155mm howitzer with 2nd Iraqi Army Division soldiers during a training exercise at the Ghuzlani Eagle Training Site, July 19, 2011.

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

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-250

CONTINGENCY CONTRACTING: Contractor Personnel Tracking System Needs Better Plans and Guidance

Sgt. 1st Class Maria Buggey steps out of U.S. Army Africa’s expeditionary command post during its recent deployment exercise at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The successful completion of the exercise validated the ability for USARAF’s Contingency Command Post to deploy and use new, cutting-edge communications equipment.

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

Paint as Material Contingency

Exhibition in the Artlab by the Third Year Advanced Painting class (VAS 3310).

October 31 - November 14, 2014

Opening Reception: Thursday, November 6, 2014,

Participating student artists from VAS 3310

Sophie Bisnaire

Danielle Brideau

Michelle Bunton

Tabitha Chan

Christie Constantine

Cayley Cowan

Emilie Currie

Yara El Safi

Corry Faulkner

Angela Ferreira

Jacob Freeman

Brenda Fuhrman

Ella Gonzales

Karissa Hill

Alexandra Kalifer

Sophia Lloyd-Jones

Rowan McCormick

Jasmine Park

Faith Patrick

Andrea Polzer

Robin Scott

Abby Vincent

Daniel Welsh

Carina Wharton

By installing your artwork in the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre, you agree to have it photographed and release all rights in and consent to the use of this photo for all legal purposes. Would you like to see your work properly captioned? vrlibrary@uwo.ca

© 2014; Department of Visual Arts; Western University

A soldier with the 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, prepares for the battalion quality assurance inspection at the Wrangler Dome on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. (Photo by Master Sgt. Oren E. Rae)

...jorge and his eight-footer, entertaining the leather contingencies prior to walking the parade route!