Unit Public Affairs Representative (UPAR) Training and Conference will be held at the 2017 State Guard Association of the United States (SGAUS) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on 22 September. This will be the first training and conference for SGAUS UPAR personnel, and it will be modeled on trainings held for the Military Emergency Management Specialist (MEMS) and Judge Advocate Generals (JAG). Content for this full day training will cover topics such as National Incident Management System (NIMS) Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers, best practices for State Defense Force (SDF) PAOs at headquarters and unit level, recommendations for table top exercises for UPAR personnel, and additional trainings and information.

The rationale for the training is to heighten awareness of duties of UPAR personnel in SDFs. In the 21^st century the role of the UPAR with respect to public information, especially with a rapidly changing social media environment and the role that SDFs play in disaster relief, is increasingly important. To function professionally the UPAR should begin to work toward an attitude of a professional information officer, and training and best practices of UPAR will be shared to help achieve this end.  SDFs can improve in getting the story of SDFs and their mission to all Americans, and these techniques can be learned and practiced.  The way to do this is to begin the development of a professional UPAR corps.  Doing so will have a positive affect on public perception, influencing state legislators and recruitment as well as creating a sense of community among SDF forces.

Examples of content that will be discussed include how to run social media inside an SDF unit (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram); write articles for SGAUS and SDF magazines and newsletters; shoot photo’s, post-process pictures, and maintain an archive; shoot and edit video and upload to DVIDS and maintain an archive; produce commemorative items (t-shirts, poker chips, photo books, coins, and other paraphernalia); and keep a history of the unit.

Register NOW at … Register.

More information on the UPAR Conference and Training can be had by contacting 1LT Steven Estes at LTSteven.Estes@icloud.com.

EXPERIENCE SCUBA
The State Guard Dive Team will be offering a short introductory in water SCUBA experience to State Guard members and their spouses. This program is NOT a SCUBA certification course. It is designed to provide interested guardsmen and spouses with a short class, pool dive, and the opportunity to see if they would like SCUBA diving. After a short class on SCUBA gear and a safety briefing each SCUBA inexperienced diver will don SCUBA gear and will be accompanied by a SCUBA certified dive team member underwater.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR to attend the conference and don’t forget to register to Experience SCUBA!  Register NOW at … Register.

For more information, LTC(SC) Scott Malyerck at scott.malyerck@sg.sc.gov

SGAUS Engineer Program – Is the ISR a METL for you?

LTC(MD) Edward A. Hubner, PE

In its efforts to provide opportunities for continuing education for all SDFs, SGAUS will be sponsoring a 4 hour course on the National Guard’s Installation Status Report program, or ISR, at the upcoming Annual Conference in South Carolina. The National Guard Bureau has established the ISR program to develop a macro model which is annually populated with data from the field to establish infrastructure spending priorities. The most expensive part of a building is not the construction but the maintenance over the life cycle of the building. Too often, the maintenance, repair and upgrade of facilities are put off to a point where they affect mission readiness and soldier quality of life. The ISR program establishes an Army wide standard to assess the physical condition and readiness of facilities, identify substandard or unavailable facilities which may impact instal-lation mission, identify facility revitalization and construction requirements, estimate macro-level planning costs and help focus future facility investment strategy.

This course will emphasize the importance of identifying the root cause of the “Infrastructure Crisis” and of maintaining its viability for a functioning society. It will delve into the metrics used in the ISR program to eval-uate facilities and well as the building science of what you will be expecting.

The Maryland SDF has been executing the ISR program for the State since 2006. They annually contribute in excess of $250,000 worth of in-kind money that the State can apply to their Federal obli-gation. In the past 10 years, Maryland has also seen their contribu-tions from the National Guard Bureau grow in excess of $30,000,000. In Maryland, the program is managed by the Engineering Division, but is all-hands in execution. In fact, for the last three years, they have been teaching college freshmen to do ISRs as part of a service learning program at the University of Maryland.

Are you interested in a METL with high visibility to both your National Guard Units and your State Legislators? If so, this may be the METL for you.  Register NOW at … Register.

POC for the SGAUS Engineer Program is LTC(MD) Edward A. Hubner, PE – Bio, ehubner@mddf.maryland.gov

For more information about the SGAUS Engineer Program, please go to this link: https://sgaus.org/sgaus-academy/engineering-academy/

NY Guard’s 88th Brigade Conducts Soldier Readiness Processing Drill

by SPC Ed Shevlin, New York Guard  

QUEENS, NY – On 22 January 2017, the New York

Guard 88th Brigade held a Consolidated Drill at JFK Airport. The drill centered on the Brigade’s annual Soldier Readiness Processing (SPR) which fundamentally supports the concept of the quick responding citizen soldier.

The morning began with an address by the Brigade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Lamboy who detailed the objectives of the day for each solider. Following LTC Lamboy’s address, Chaplain (CPT) John Muniz, the Brigade Chaplain, gave an invocation, after which the business of the SRP drill began.

The format of this drill was unique to SRP, with numerous stations located around Classroom One at the Joint Task Force Empire Shield facility at JFK Airport. The SRP began with Recruiting and Retention, where soldiers updated their mobilization forms, a critical task which helps to insure a timely muster in the face of an emergency, followed by the next station where ID were checked to be updated if necessary.

In addition to the “on the spot” advice, each soldier was informed of the Free Legal Clinic which was conducted and provided by the New York Guard Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corp at Fort Hamilton and is available to NYG Soldiers on the first Saturday of each month.

The health and safety of soldiers is a primary concern of the New York Guard, and at the SRP drill the 88th Brigade’s Medical Corps, updated records, conducted medical examinations and updated the Soldier’s medical records or information as needed.

The 88th Brigade’s Consolidated SRP Drill was a resounding success. As the New York Guard prepares to meet the challenges of the future, events such as this SRP Drill are critical to maintaining readiness to perform State missions.

Soldiers of the 88th Brigade update medical records during the SRP Drill on 22 January 2017, in Queens, NY.