Arizona National Guard
By SFC Robert Frees,
The Arizona National Guard’s 91st Civil Support Team (CST) practiced loading vehicles and equipment on aircraft at Goldwater Air National Guard Base to train with other CSTs from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and California.
As part of its annual requirement to practice loading equipment onto aircraft, the 91st loaded six vehicles and one trailer on two C-17 Globemaster cargo planes from March Air Force Base and Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
“We have to at least do a static load every year. We’re actually taking it to the next level,” said Air Force Maj Michael Spencer, the operations officer for the 91st. “We’re doing a multi-CST exercise with some of our sister units.”
The unit is marked to go to Colorado to participate in a large-scale chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear-explosive (CBRN-E) and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) exercise with counterparts from other states with the purpose of maintaining proficiency in CBRN-E response capabilities.
While in Colorado, the 91st will take part in a multi-CST exercise, hosted by the Colorado National Guard’s 8th CST, after participating in another training event in Colorado earlier this year.
“The Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and California teams will rotate daily through four venues-related WMD incidents,” said Army 1SG Josh Steele of the 91st.
“This allows teams to conduct an exercise in which it has command and control of multiple CSTs in a single location. It also allows a team to exercise command and control of a large or widespread incident,” he said.
Army SGT Grace Ogesen, a survey team member with the 91st, said that she enjoys being part of a well-trained and experienced team and enjoys the opportunity to train with other teams.
“It’s always nice to see the other CSTs from different states and how they operate. It gives us fresh ideas,” -Army SGT Grace Ogesen
A CST’s mission is to support civil authorities at domestic incident sites within the United States. According to Army National Guard regulations, teams accomplish this mission by identifying hazards, assessing current and projected consequences, advising on response measures and assisting with appropriate requests for support. The 91st fulfills a rotating on-call requirement with CST units across the country and must be ready to quickly mobilize when receiving
a request for support.
This year, the 91st has supported civil agencies statewide, including the NCAA Final Four Championship. Some upcoming events the 91st plans to support include Arizona State University football home games.
“The 91st CST is a great group of people. Everybody from the lowest enlisted to the highest ranking comes together when a job needs to get done,” Maj Spencer said. “They are not afraid to roll their sleeves up and get dirty. There’s great morale and great cohesion in the unit. It’s a good group of people I’m proud to be part of.”
