Virginia Defense Force Responds to Winter Storm JONAS 2016

As the weather forecast grew in confidence that Winter Storm JONAS, a blizzard with snowfall projections in excess of 20-30”, would impact Virginia beginning on 22 January, state and local government authorities began planning to position assets to protect life and property. The Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) of the Virginia Department of Military Affairs (DMA) convened planning teams with the operational leadership of the Army and Air National Guard and the Virginia Defense Force (VDF) to ready its respond with an array of capabilities to augment state and local responses. With a preemptory state of emergency declaration by Governor McAuliffe on the 21st, planning quickly went to the execution phase with the activation of up to 500 DMA members. Of this number, 47 members of the VDF supported the response. Members of the VDF deployed from their home stations to man command and control (C2) nodes at nine readiness centers that ran the length and breadth of the state.   At these readiness centers, VDF members provided C2 linkages to the JFHQ located in Richmond. These VDF C2 teams passed tasking to their supported VaNG commanders who deployed assets in support of state agencies and local civilian authorities. Status reporting was also passed back to the JFHQ as missions were completed and assets were returned to execute their next mission tasking. Additionally, VDF personnel deployed to the JFHQ to augment the J-1 and J-3 staffs and to the Headquarters of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). At VDEM, these VDF personnel served the essential role of translating requests from civilian authorities into military capabilities and then communicating these requests to the JFHQ for sourcing. The VDF also deployed for the first-time a public affairs detachment to directly support The Adjutant General to convey, through multiple media outlets, the response of the VaNG to this storm. As the storm ended, assets redeployed, and local authorities continued clean-up operations, the VDF, as part of the DMA team, could be very proud of their support in shaping the response of the Commonwealth in service to their fellow citizens.