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Navy Takes Part in Non-Combatant Evacuation Exercise

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060602-03
Release Date: 6/2/2006 9:12:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David McKee, U.S. Naval Forces Korea Public Affairs

SEOUL, Korea (NNS) -- U.S. Navy families rehearsed procedures to evacuate them from harm’s way in the event of a natural disaster or contingency, in the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) semi-annual exercise Courageous Channel 06-1, May 18 and 19.

The purpose of the exercise is to simulate all necessary tasks used during an actual short-notice, ordered evacuation, including transportation, registration and monitoring of evacuees with the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) Tracking System from Korea to repatriation sites within the continental United States.

"Active-duty personnel participating in Courageous Channel gain an understanding of what will be required to execute NEO in the event of a contingency,” said Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea NEO Coordinator, Lt. Cmdr. Chris Gabriel. “There is no substitute for actually setting up the various NEO sites and physically processing non-combatants through the system. Active-duty personnel gain firsthand knowledge of the multitude of tasks required to register and track non-combatants, in addition to keeping them safe, prior to evacuation.”

Families brought their “NEO Packets,” which included important documents such as birth certificates, passports and powers of attorney to the Evacuation Control Centers to verify their documentation is complete and accurate and to become familiar with processing procedures.

“Families that participate in Courageous Channel observe firsthand the detailed preparations that USFK has put in place in the event of an NEO,” said Gabriel. “By going through the Evacuation Control Center, dependents gain an appreciation for the complexity of the tasks involved in keeping non-combatants safe and evacuating them from a potentially hostile environment. Families should come away from Courageous Channel feeling reassured that USFK will do everything it can to ensure their safety and expeditious evacuation from Korea during an NEO.”

The process is intended to prepare non-combatants for evacuation and instill confidence in the system.

"Not only do families have peace of mind knowing there is a plan in place to get them to safety, service members can concentrate on their jobs knowing their families will be evacuated from harm's way," said Navy Counselor 1st Class (SW) Kevin Goodman.

All DOD-affiliated noncombatants, to include non-emergency-essential U.S. government employees participated in the Courageous Channel exercise.

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Korea (CNFK) is the regional commander for the U.S. Navy in the Republic of Korea and provides leadership and expertise in naval matters to area military commanders, including the Commander for the United Nations Command, the Republic of Korea and U.S. Combined Forces Command, and Commander, U.S. Forces Korea. CNFK also serves as liaison to the Republic of Korea Navy, the Combined Forces Commander staff in armistice and in wartime and to the Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, based in Yokosuka.