RICHMOND, Va. –
The Virginia National Guard staged approximately 15 Airmen and Soldiers for possible winter storm response operations Jan. 28, 2022, on the Eastern Shore. All personnel mustered Friday morning and arrived in the area late Friday afternoon. They are linked up with local authorities Saturday morning and ready to assist if needed, but did not receive any missions overnight.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management requested high mobility transportation and debris reduction capabilities, so the VNG staged personnel with heavy duty vehicles capable of traveling through deep snow and chainsaws for reducing debris from fallen trees.
“This is the fourth time in just over three weeks the Virginia National Guard has deployed for winter storm response, and our Airmen and Soldiers are ready to go if the local authorities on the Eastern Shore need their assistance,” said Brig. Gen. James W. Ring, the VNG Director of the Joint Staff. “We are incredibly proud of how quickly and safely our personnel answered the call, and we also appreciate all the support happening behind the scenes to get our personnel in place. That includes our families and employers who continue to support the great work of our uniformed personnel.”
Additional Soldiers, Airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force are also on duty to provide logistics, administrative and operations center support in the Richmond area. Additional units have been identified for possible mobilization if needed after the storm.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s emergency declaration authorized the VNG to bring personnel on state active duty to support state and local authorities in advance of possible winter weather.
During domestic operations, the VNG receives missions from VDEM and responds as part of a multi-agency team with other state and local agencies to provide support capabilities requests by Virginia communities. VDEM determines where capabilities are allocated, and the VNG does not respond to direct requests for assistance.
Localities looking for VNG support should make their requests to VDEM, and they determine which organization can best provide the requested assistance as they coordinate the regional and statewide response.