Fort Polk, LA--Fort Polk soldiers with the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division "Patriots" 710th Brigade Support Battalion engaged in a natural disaster support exercise at the Port of Beaumont this week.
The Brigade exercised providing logistical support in both domestic cases and abroad in a Sealift Emergency Deployment Response Exercise from April 13-16. The unit moved more than 40 pieces of sustainment equipment from Fort Polk to the Port where the equipment was loaded on to a U.S. Army Logistic Support Vessel, the Army's largest powered watercraft. The unit also exercised its ability to respond to a hurricane, tornado or other natural disaster and practiced using a sea vessel as a means to enter an affected area if roads and bridges were no longer accessible.
During the S-EDRE the LSV carried the sustainment equipment out to sea for more than 14 hours while the USS Texas trained 710th Soldiers on logistic vessel operations and familiarization.
The Port of Beaumont, only about 100 miles away from the U.S. Army installation, provides Fort Polk with unique training opportunities that otherwise may not be available to soldiers. U.S. Army Forces Command said that this unit was the sole unit under its purview conducting this kind of disaster response training.
Soldiers with Fort Polk's 3rd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, previously designated as the 4th Brigade prior to its reactivation earlier this year, were called upon to provide disaster relief in 2005 during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The unit deployed to New Orleans and supported local efforts to mitigate the disaster inflicted on the area.
Soldiers also simulated providing defense support to local civil authorities without prior expected notice on the LSV. The soldiers also practiced integrating with a National Guard unit, merging the 710th BSB's with their sister unit, the 199th BSB of Lafayette, La.
This exercise strengthened 710th BSB Soldiers connection to the Louisiana and Texas community while sharpening the skills needed to deploy their Brigade worldwide expeditiously.
For further information, contact 3rd Brigade Combat Team (LI) Public Affairs Officer, Maj. Asha Cooper at (337) 531-8019 or (504) 564-3970 or at [email protected], or SFC. E.L. Craig at (504) 616-3789 or at [email protected] or [email protected].
Photos courtesy of SFC. E.L. Craig.
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