DSCA

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 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, 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.

The Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force is led by Major Justin Beaulieu and his Senior Enlisted Advisor, Senior Master Sergeant James C. Miller. The Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force mission is to assist in the reduction of the supply and demand for illegal drugs by fostering relationships and partnering with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies (LEA), and community based organizations. The CDTF provides these agencies and organizations a full range of operational support services in the detection, interdiction, disruption, and curtailment of drug trafficking activities and transnational criminal organizations through the application of unique military skills, resources, and capabilities. Several unique military abilities the CDTF provides includes illegal narcotic surveillance, seizure operations, marijuana eradication missions, information analysis, patternof-life analysis, criminal case support analysis, and aerial reconnaissance. The CDTF is comprised of 29 members from both the Georgia Army National Guard (22) and Georgia Air National Guard (seven). These Soldiers and Airmen are committed to providing professional and costeffective enduring support to 19 law enforcement agencies (12 local, three state, four federal) and to other LEAs upon request. They remain a constant ambassador of the Georgia National Guard and liaison for law enforcement needs related to illicit drug enforcement and provide requested training courses. During the fiscal year 2020, the CDTF facilitated five training courses to a multitude of law enforcement agencies providing law enforcement a cost savings of $104,552. In total, Georgia’s CDTF provided training to 104 different agencies and 328 law enforcement officers. This training is provided at no cost to law enforcement agencies and no cost to the Georgia taxpayers thanks to participation in the Federal Asset Forfeiture Programs. The CDTF assisted in the cumulative seizure of more than $29 million consisting of $27 million worth of drugs, $1.6 million in currency, $944,000 in property, and 332 weapons (valued at $145,500) which were either stolen, in the possession of felons, or being used during the commission of felonies within the state of Georgia. The support provided by the Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force assisted in building cases that directly led to the arrest of 430 suspects during fiscal year 2020. The National Guard Bureau measures effectiveness of the program and determines each programs budget based on the Threat Based Resource Model (TBRM). Georgia continues to be recognized as one of the most successful National Guard Counterdrug Programs in the country.

The 4th Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) is a full-time National Guard unit, comprised of 18 Army and four Air Force Active Guard Reserve (AGR) personnel. The team supports civil authorities at domestic chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incident sites by offering hazard identification and assessments. They advise civil authorities and facilitate the arrival of follow-on military forces during emergencies and incidents of WMD terrorism, intentional/unintentional release of CBRN materials, and natural or human-made disasters that result in, or could result in, catastrophic loss of life or property. The 4th WMD-CST complements and enhances, but does not duplicate, state CBRN response capabilities. The 4th WMD-CST was one of the first ten WMD-CSTs and was initially established and validated by the U.S. Department of Defense in October 2001. The 4th WMDCST is extremely active in the community, consistently ranking in the “Top 10 Most Active Teams in the Nation”, and fiscal year (FY) 2020 was no different. The 4th WMD-CST, in conjunction with numerous federal, state, and local interagency partners, worked diligently to help reduce WMD threat vulnerabilities in the state of Georgia. In FY 2020, the team was active across the entire state. It provided field testing and training to partner agencies, collaborated with local authorities in the Plant Hatch exercise, provided knowledge and expertise to the health department and Georgia Public Health Labs (GPHL), and provided hazard sweep teams for special events. Additionally, the team has an ongoing mission supporting the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service by screening mail for U.S. embassies overseas in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control and GPHL. The 4th WMD-CST provided subject matter expert support for numerous large scale public events considered to have a high target value based upon threat levels, critical infrastructure, or attendance levels. The team supported the NASCAR weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It also supported the SEC Championship, the ChickFil-A Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons, and Georgia Tech. Lastly, the unit provided radiological expertise to the Emory health care system during a sizeable medical source swap. The 4th WMD-CST was on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response for the State. The team provided personnel and technical support for twenty-three different missions. These missions ranged from advising on standard operating procedures for Guard forces, assisting with facility disinfection, collecting specimens for testing, medical treatment facility advising, and statewide testing expertise. Our primary goal is to build upon the interagency relationships we have established throughout the 4th WMD-CST existence. As we move into 2021, the 4th WMD-CST stands ready to deploy 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, to assist the state of Georgia and other Response Region III states (Ala., Fla., Ga., Ky., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands).