Protecting Critical Infrastructure
Vital Defense from the Mountain State
SAMANTHA CART
To the average person , national defense calls to mind images of men and women in uniform training in physical combat , perhaps with weapons or intense conditioning . However , the modern defense of the U . S . and its assets is more complex and multifaceted than ever before .
Along with defending our lives and our freedoms , many service members are dedicated to protecting the country ’ s critical infrastructure , which , according to the U . S . Department of Defense ( DOD ), includes physical and virtual systems and assets that are so vital to the country that their failure or destruction would have a debilitating impact on national security , the economy or public health and safety . Critical infrastructure protection consists of preventing or mitigating risks resulting from the vulnerabilities of these assets . While this work is happening on a national scale , West Virginians are at the center of defending the U . S . from emergencies and attacks on this important infrastructure .
Leading the Charge
In 1995 , Major General Allen Tackett directed his staff to ensure the West Virginia National Guard ( WVNG ) was positioned to execute any mission related to emerging threats to the U . S .
Tackett wanted the WVNG to serve as the lead National Guard entity for addressing threats to the nation ’ s critical infrastructure , which led to the construction of two stateof-the-art training facilities in West Virginia : the Memorial Tunnel training range on the West Virginia Turnpike and the National Guard Regional Training Institute at Camp Dawson , WV . These facilities became the center of the state ’ s National Guard Training Center of Excellence , a status awarded by the National Guard Bureau ( NGB ) in 2003 .
Since then , the Guard has trained , manned and equipped assessment teams to conduct vulnerability and risk assessments aimed at protecting national and defense critical infrastructure , and much of that training has happened in the Mountain State . In 2004 , the Joint Interagency Training Center-East ( JITC-E ) served as an NGB capability with a mission to educate , train and exercise DOD and joint , inter governmental , interagency and multinational spectrum partners and organizations in conjunction with ongoing homeland defense operations . JITC-E was redesignated the Joint Interagency Training and Education Center ( JITEC ) in 2007 . The JITEC ultimately became a service-recognized military unit and a unique WVNG contribution . The U . S . Army approved the JITEC as an active National Guard unit in 2010 . In 2018 , the JITEC became the Army Interagency Training and Education Center ( AITEC ).
Army Interagency Training and Education Center
Today , the AITEC supports the states , territories and government agencies that form the nation ’ s 10 Homeland Response Forces ( HRF ) and 17 Chemical , Biological , Radiological , Nuclear and Explosive ( CBRNE ) Enhanced Response Force Packages ( CERFP ) through training courses and exercise evaluations .
“ The mission of the 10 HRFs and 17 CERFPs is to support civil authorities at a domestic incident site during specified events — which include use or threatened use of a weapon of mass destruction , terrorist attack or threatened terrorist attack ; intentional or unintentional release of nuclear , biological , radiological , toxic or poisonous chemicals ; or natural or manmade disasters that result or could result in the catastrophic loss of life or property — by identifying hazards , assessing current and projected consequences , advising on response measures and assisting with appropriate requests for additional
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