The Commanding Officer of Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Col. Alphonso Trimble, and several members of his staff visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IV Regional Response Coordination Center in Atlanta, Ga., and the Georgia National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Marietta, Ga., June 27.

Annually, the base commanding officer receives a Defense Support Civil Authorities brief which is typically provided by the Marine Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer at MCLB Albany, but this year Trimble received the brief at the FEMA Region IV RRCC.

The FEMA Region IV RRCC is the point where mission assignments are created and sourced through the Department of Defense.  MCLB Albany has been tasked and utilized as an Incident Support Base for the last four hurricane seasons (2015-2018).

“It was important for Colonel Trimble to meet the team at the FEMA Region IV RRCC who coordinate DSCA mission assignments that utilize MCLB Albany as an ISB,” Steve Dancer, installation emergency manager, said.  

The repeated use of MCLB Albany to support DSCA operations in the past makes MCLB Albany a Tier One ISB which means it will most likely be used again in the future. Dancer briefed members of the Defense Coordination Element and the Defense Coordination Officer on the capabilities of MCLB Albany to support DSCA requests.

According to the installation emergency manager, Hurricane Michael (October 2018) demonstrated the impacts of hurricanes are not exclusive to coastal communities.  MCLB Albany was an ISB for FEMA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineer operations while also supporting the deployment of Georgia National Guard units to Southwest Georgia.

Trimble met with the Adjutant General of Georgia, Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden in the Joint Operations Center and received a brief on the capabilities of the Georgia National Guard.

“Knowing the overall capabilities of the Georgia National Guard and how they support the communities during a disaster provides the commanding officer of MCLB Albany the ability to be a true community partner by supporting those who help others by being a force projection platform,” Dancer pointed out.

This was the first visit by the MCLB Albany Commanding Officer to the Joint Forces Headquarters.