throughout the state to alleviate staffing shortages at those facilities. Our Guardsmen also supported numerous other missions in response to GEMA, DPH, and local EMA requests. We have assisted area food banks in providing tens of millions of pounds of food to hungry Georgians. Guard Soldiers provided labor at the DPH warehouse which supplies personal protective equipment to hospitals. We also assisted at state operated isolation sites, call centers, and SPOC sites. We have also provided logistics and transportation assistance. In the midst of the COVID-19 response, thousands of demonstrators took to the Atlanta streets in response to the death of George Floyd. Not all of the resulting protests were peaceful, which prompted Governor Kemp to declare a state of emergency and order deployment of the Georgia National Guard. More than 1,700 Guardsmen deployed to assist state and local law enforcement with the protection of life and property and preserve peace, order, and public safety. In addition, the National Guard also supplied protective equipment to nine civilian law enforcement agencies. After Governor Kemp authorized the demobilization of Guard forces responding to the civil disturbances,
Defense Support To Civil Authorities
The Georgia Department of Defense supported multiple state response efforts throughout 2020. Georgia DoD personnel were at the forefront of the response to the COVID-19 public health emergency as well as the civil disturbance response in key Georgia locations. In March, Georgia DoD received a tasking to directly support the quarantine of passengers from the Princess Cruise Liner for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Clay National Guard Center hosted nearly 150 U.S. citizens who had been passengers on the cruise ship and were required to be quarantined for two weeks. This marked the beginning of one of the longest domestic activations in the history of the Georgia National Guard. By April, over 3,200 Soldiers and Airmen were working throughout the state to save lives. Infection control teams from the National Guard conducted 2,434 infection control missions at various locations throughout the state, including 730 nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Our mobile testing teams collected 55,790 samples for laboratory testing. Georgia DoD provided over 180 medical personnel to 19 hospitals
Georgia DoD returned to the COVID-19 mission and simultaneously maintained a ready presence with the National Guard Response Force. We have continued to support food bank operations and several DPH led activities, including DPH specimen point of collection sites, the DPH warehouse, and the call center. The National Guard Response Force has continued to provide assistance at the Georgia Capitol, governor’s mansion, and GSP headquarters. The National Guard had 300 personnel standing by to respond to a protest at Stone Mountain Park and assist civil authorities. The Georgia DoD’s rapid and flexible responses to ambiguous and evolving situations would not have been possible without training and exercises. Though we had several training events planned, we were only able to participate in one before COVID-19 shut down most events. Others evolved into virtual events. Georgia supplied helicopters and personnel to support the Patriot South exercise hosted by Mississippi which trained our ability to deploy and assist civilian agencies. Because of the pandemic, Ga. DoD conducted a virtual hurricane exercise and participated in U.S. Northern Command and GEMA’s hurricane exercises to prepare for the next event.
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