Insights From the US Military Response to the Hampton Industrial Park Training

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
(Es Number)
March 24, 2023
(U) WHAT INSIGHTS ARE DERIVED FROM THE US MILITARY RESPONSE TO THE HAMPTON INDUSTRIAL PARK TRAINING RELATIVE TO THE NCO COMMON CORE COMPETENCY (NCOCCC) REGARDING DEFENSE SUPPORT OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES? (U)
The Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Corps is the backbone of the U.S. Army, and the NCO C3 system is an essential element of effective military operations. In defense support to civil authorities (DSCA), NCOs are critical in providing command and control, communications, and coordination support (Association of the United States Army, 2020). NCOs are responsible for implementing the principles of unity of effort and unity of command in DSCA operations, ensuring effective communication and collaboration among military and civilian agencies, and promoting interoperability through joint training and exercises. During the disaster response and support training exercise in Hampton Industrial Park, an incident happened where a rail car carrying chlorine gas to an industrial facility exploded. This explosion caused a significant amount of gas to be released downwind of the site, affecting approximately 100,000 residents living within a radius of 25 miles. The incident resulted in numerous fatalities, hundreds of severe injuries, and thousands of hospitalizations. To ensure the safety of the residents, more than 50,000 individuals were evacuated to shelters located in secure zones, and temporary shelter-in-place orders were issued for those who remained. The explosion had a substantial impact on the infrastructure, resulting in the impairment of nearby highways and rail lines and corrosion in regions that were heavily exposed. The economic impact was in the millions of dollars, and the recovery timeline was estimated to be several weeks (Levinson, 2008). Additionally, a reconnaissance team was followed by a second team, which entered the "hot zone" with the necessary tools for rescuing victims. They worked to save each casualty, transporting them to a casualty collection point and calling for medical support. Over 4,500 service members from 80 units nationwide, including the U.S. Air Force and state and federal agencies, participated in the exercise, which was about readiness in the face of catastrophic events anywhere in the homeland. The Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) consisted of three core objectives: to save lives, prevent human suffering, and reduce property damage as much as possible. As a result, the 3rd platoon, 22nd Engineer Clearance Company, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and soldiers carried out technical search and rescue operations at the incident site to meet these objectives. Particularly, the soldiers provided technical emergency search and rescue to preserve life and minimize suffering, including heavy lifting, forcible entry, and rope systems. Aside from these common operational work during civilian disasters, the military unit was also responsible for search and rescue, decontamination, medical support, and even handling crowds outside the training area. From the operational standpoint, this response was in line with the NCO's core competency of (1) understanding the operational environment and (2) identifying gaps in both the organization and the plan and leveraging resources to overcome them. This was why various sections and teams were deployed according to the areas with the most need and utilizing their training and resources where they best fit (Association of the United States Army, 2020, p. 2-7). Going back to the case, the operational appr...