Category: Security

Source: United States Army

WIESBADEN, Germany – U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden’s Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation trained its ability to provide emergency family assistance and shelter during a mass care exercise, May 21 at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center at Clay Kaserne.

Annual emergency exercises are essential for garrison readiness and community safety. These drills help personnel and residents practice response procedures, clarify roles, and improve coordination among agencies.

Coordinated response in action

During this exercise the DFMWR tested the capabilities of both the Emergency Family Assistance Center and Safe Haven to provide services during an emergency setting.

“Both have been exercised before but at separate locations. Setting up mass care (safe haven) together with the EFAC in the gym is a first,” said Jason E. Conrad, a DFMWR project planner.

An EFAC is a dedicated facility established during emergencies to support families and individuals affected by crises. EFACs provide a range of services, including information, counseling, legal and financial assistance, and access to essential resources. Their main purpose is to help families recover, stay informed, and access the support they need to navigate challenging situations.

“[We] set up a location where service members, family, [and] civilians can come and receive the essential services that they may have lost,” explained Jeremy Plumley, Army Community Service division chief and EFAC chief. “For instance, if there was a house fire and somebody loses all their identification, their credit card, their passports, we have service providers present that can assist them with all those things.”

A Safe Haven or Mass Care Operation is a coordinated effort to provide temporary shelter, food, water, and basic necessities to people displaced by emergencies. The goal is to ensure the safety and well-being of affected individuals until they can return home or find alternative accommodations.

“If there is ever an emergency like natural disasters, or severe security threats, we want the community to know that the garrison has a plan. Their safety is [our] top priority and we as a garrison have the capabilities to handle any situation,” said Israel Rivera, mobilization and deployment program manager. “These exercises are done for the community’s wellbeing in mind. Our agencies need to be trained and proficient to deal with any situation.”

The goal is to make sure that military families are always taken care of, and ensuring specific accommodations are available for pregnant or breastfeeding woman, families with small children, elderly people, and persons with medical situations.

Putting plans into practice

Early in the morning, a notification triggered the start of the exercise. Agencies responded by setting up operations in the gym, where displaced individuals—portrayed by role players — signed in to the Safe Haven and EFAC. Role players presented various issues during the exercise to further challenge and assess the effectiveness of the operations.

Throughout the exercise, participants practiced and evaluated setup, timing, planning, and administrative tasks. Supporting directorates and agencies like the Red Cross, Army Emergency Relief, the Legal office, Community Bank, and the Religious Support Office were all onsite to provide assistance and resources.

The safe haven in the gym provided mobility support, a rest area, logistics hub, an area for children and pets, and an area for food and drink supplies. The EFAC also provided a waiting area, tailored to families with children.

During this exercise 18 displaced family units were taken care of. In a real emergency the gym could hold up to 500 people with additional capacities in the schools and the Wiesbaden Entertainment Center on Hainerberg.

Plumley also explained why regular training is important, “Staff changes constantly, so we lose a lot of experience every time somebody PCSes. So we do a lot of exercises to make sure that new staff are caught up in the protocols and procedures to make sure that we are always ready at the drop of a dime.”

A testament to how important exercise operations are, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart took the opportunity to send some of their ACS staff to observe the Wiesbaden exercise in person, providing insight and preparation for their full-scale exercise in September.

Exercises like this, along with other more theoretical tabletop exercises, are part of the garrison’s ongoing commitment to readiness and continuous improvement. These efforts help prepare the community for the Army’s triennial exercise cycle, which will bring another full-scale installation exercise to Wiesbaden in 2027.

Source: United States Army

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Members of the community here traded their “busy work” for something more vital: themselves.

A Mental Health Awareness Day event held May 20 and led by the Army Substance Abuse Program served as a necessary detour from the daily mission. The Camp Zama Community Club was transformed into a hub of connection, lined with several subject-matter experts and community support agencies dedicated to holistic wellness.

Navigating the Path to Wellness Together

Throughout the day, participants moved through the space, gathering tools to strengthen their mental and emotional “rucksacks.” Key organizer Maria N. Ortiz said the event offered a comprehensive look at wellness, including stress management and resilience, substance abuse prevention, and emotional and family support.

“We had nearly 100 participants who actively interacted with the subject-matter experts, participated in activities, and engaged in meaningful conversations,” Ortiz said. “The event was very well received by the community.”

In an environment defined by constant readiness, it can be easy to forget that the most important weapon system is the human mind, Ortiz said.

“Setting aside time to focus on mental health is important because mental wellness directly impacts overall health, readiness, relationships and quality of life,” she said.

Building a Stronger Home for All Who Serve

By prioritizing self-care and open dialogue, the Camp Zama community took a significant step toward reducing stigma often associated with mental health. The event served as a reminder that while life transitions and work responsibilities affect us all differently, the community stands ready to support.

“We hope that this event has helped everyone realize that support is available within the community whenever it is needed,” Ortiz said.

Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

AGADIR, Morocco — U.S. Africa Command accelerated battlefield innovation through the integration of the Mobile Ad Hoc Network–Cloud High Mobility Radio system during African Lion 26, the largest multinational exercise held in Africa, April 20-May 8.

By bridging critical communication gaps between industry capabilities and operational forces, MCHMR (pronounced “MC Hammer”) reshapes how data moves, processes and drives decisions across the joint and combined force.

“We identified a critical gap [of] no unified pathway to integrate industry-provided data, from geolocation to full-motion video, into our operational systems,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ramon N. Leonguerrero, African Lion future operations chief, chief of fires, and innovation division project manager for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF). “MCHMR solved that problem by creating a streamlined information pathway that connects the tactical edge directly to the combined joint task force headquarters through a shared common operational picture.”

Through MCHMR, allied and partner nations participating in AL26 accessed and contributed to a shared common operational picture, significantly improving interoperability and collective decision making.

“AL26 integrates readiness, lethality and innovation by placing emerging technologies directly in the hands of the warfighter alongside our allies and partners,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Daniel L. Cederman, deputy commanding general–reserve, SETAF-AF. “By testing and refining these capabilities in a multinational environment, we are strengthening interoperability and ensuring we are prepared to meet evolving threats.”

This convergence drove the rapid fielding and refinement of systems like MCHMR, turning experimentation into operational advantage.

“MCHMR integrates operational and tactical sensor data across the formation, ensuring leaders at every level have access to comprehensive, real-time information,” Leonguerrero said. “That connectivity enables faster, more informed decisions in complex environments.”

MCHMR directly supports USAFRICOM’s priorities to strengthen partner capacity and operational effectiveness throughout the theater.

“We are enhancing partner integration into the common operational picture by leveraging a hardware-agnostic platform that can securely share diverse data types across multiple partners,” said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bryan G. Duncan, J6 chief technical advisor for U.S. Africa Command. “Our focus is on building resilient data pathways that enable seamless collaboration in both connected and disconnected environments, ultimately empowering decision dominance at the tactical edge.”

Several first-of-their-kind achievements during AL26 underscored the system’s impact.

“In a breakthrough for coalition communication, USAFRICOM, in coordination with SETAF-AF, validated a multilanguage artificial intelligence capability that delivers real-time, Arabic-to-English translation over MPU5 radios integrated into the MCHMR network,” Leonguerrero said. “This advancement reduces reliance on human translators and enables faster, clearer communication during multinational operations.”

Building on this advancement, the system also expanded how coalition partners share and access real-time intelligence.

“In another milestone, the innovation team successfully integrated Moroccan ‘WanderB’ unmanned aerial system feeds into the MCHMR cloud environment and next-generation command and control systems, marking the first time partner-nation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data has been directly shared across the network,” Leonguerrero said. “The integration allows full-motion video to move from ground control stations to CJTF operations centers and connected end-user devices, enhancing shared situational awareness across the coalition.”

At the tactical level, joint service members directly enabled these capabilities by integrating hardware and systems across multiple nations in real time.

“We’re integrating MPU5 radios with multiple U.S. and partner systems, including unmanned aerial platforms, to push real-time data across different networks and classification levels,” said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Caleb Hilton, a radio frequency transmission operations specialist for 355th Communications Squadron, 355th Mission Support Group, 355th Wing. “This is the first time we’ve successfully tested real-time, Arabic-to-English translation on these systems, and seeing different services and nations work seamlessly together to make that happen has been a huge step forward.”

This expanded data-sharing capability sets the conditions for further advancements in C2 integration.

“Additionally, following an intensive six-day development cycle, the team achieved the first integration of full-motion video into next-generation C2 systems operating on Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network architecture within the USAFRICOM area of responsibility,” Leonguerrero said. “This capability provides critical support for target identification and battle damage assessment, accelerating the decision-making process.”

Together, these innovations highlighted the rapid pace at which new capabilities are developed and fielded in a live training environment.

“African Lion demonstrates that service members can rapidly adopt and employ emerging technologies,” Leonguerrero said. “Through iterative cycles of testing, failing, fixing and validating, we are delivering capabilities at the pace modern warfare demands.”

Rather than relying on traditional acquisition timelines, these efforts emphasized rapid experimentation and immediate operational feedback to refine capabilities in real time.

“USAFRICOM and SETAF-AF drive meaningful, cost-efficient innovation for the joint and combined force,” Leonguerrero added. “We integrate artificial intelligence, robotics and next-generation digital technologies to dominate today’s complex challenges. Our purpose is to translate vision into battlefield-ready capabilities that are intuitive, scalable and immediately impactful.”

MCHMR carried AL26’s momentum forward, enabling integrated, data-driven operations that will define future coalition success.

About African Lion

African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.

African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

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