First Friday Briefing for April 2005

State Defense Force, 178th MPs
Participate in Operation Castle Keep
Two components of the Georgia Department of Defense played key roles in a March exercise that helped better prepare state and local authorities deal with homeland security threats. Operation Castle Keep included a realistic scenario at the Buford Dam on Lake Lanier, with the 178th Military Police Company working with local law enforcement, and the Georgia State Defense Force playing the part of the "bad guys."
Read more about the 178th MPs at Castlekeep
Read more about the State Defense Force Role

FSIVA Team Joins Counterdrug Task Force In Homeland Defense
FSIVA, a new acronym Georgia Guard soldiers will soon add to their vocabulary.  FSIVA stands for Full Spectrum Integrated Vulnerability Assessment Team, a new detachment forming under the counter drug banner that will provide Georgia’s civil authorities with the means to assess the vulnerability of state infrastructures to terrorist attack. When fully operational the eight person team will undergo extensive training in anti-terrorism and force protection management, physical security, engineering and possibly Sapper schooling. More

Army Guardsmen Compete for
Soldier, NCO of the Year
The Georgia Army National Guard held its annual Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition at the Regional Training Institute at Macon in March. The Soldiers and NCOs competed against each other in variety of events including physical training, marksmanship, and common task training. The RTI cadre conducted the events. The state winners will represent Georgia in the regional competition. “It’s a good thing,” said Spc. Neil White (pictured), Company H, 121st Infantry, of winning Soldier of the Year. “But there’s more to come and the competition will be stiffer.” More

Georgia First Full-time Chaplain
Promoted to Colonel
Chaplain John Owings, the Georgia Guard's first fulltime chaplain, is the latest Georgia Army Guard Soldier to be promoted to the rank of Colonel. Chaplain Owings (pictured above) was pinned by his wife Rosey and Col. Don Venn, Chief of Staff, during ceremonies in March. Chaplain Owings, who joined the Georgia Army Guard in 1990, was appointed the to his fulltime position last year and oversees the operations of more than 40 chaplains and chaplain assistants statewide. Prior to joining the Georgia Guard, the Hawkinsville native served seven years on active duty as a chaplain with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, and in assignments in Italy and Germany.

117th Air Control Squadron Tests
Sophisticated Comm Equipment
In a live exercise off the coast of Georgia, the 117th Air Control Squadron tested the new Joint Range Extension Transparent Multi-Platform Gateway Equipment Package (JTEP) at the request of the Air Combat Command. This highly sophisticated system was designed to evaluate new communications equipment that creates a common display among many different aircraft originally limited only to line of sight capabilities. More

Mandatory USERRA Poster
Now Available Through ESGR
Mandatory posters explaining the rights of employees National Guard and Reserve under the Uniformed Services Employment Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) are now available from the U.S. Department Labor. The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act, enacted by Congress last December, mandates that employers provide notice to “all persons entitled to rights and under USERRA.” Employers may meet this obligation by posting the notice prominent place where employees routinely check for such information. More