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Essex Conducts Non-combatant Evacuation Operation

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090219-09
Release Date: 2/19/2009 5:54:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Taurean Alexander

USS ESSEX, Gulf of Thailand (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) conducted a Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) drill Feb. 15 as part of Cobra Gold 2009.

The drill featured more than 100 Essex Sailors and 60 simulated non-combatants from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) as well as Royal Thai Marines. The NEO exercise is designed to practice evacuating non-combatants as part of humanitarian relief operations.

"Our focus is to be ready to properly and safely receive any evacuees coming from a crisis, whether it's a natural disaster, terrorist attack or any other form of emergency," said Lt. Walter Clark, NEO coordinator.
"Whether they are American citizens, non-U.S. citizens or embassy personnel, our mission is to get them from an unsafe environment to a safe one."

During the NEO, simulated evacuees were processed through a security checkpoint and ushered to medical triage stations where Essex' medical team immediately assessed casualties and ranked them by severity.

"It is extremely vital that we're able to identify those in need of urgent care," said Lt. Cmdr. Steve Praske, a Fleet Surgical Team 7 medical officer. "Those with life-threatening injuries, pregnant women or people who have been separated from their family take priority."

Non-combatants were first taken to a medical checkpoint where personnel obtained a medical history. Those with injuries were then taken to a second checkpoint where the staff obtained vital signs and assessed the severity of the injuries. During an actual NEO, any non-combatants with serious injuries would be rushed to Essex' medical facility.

"Today's exercise was not intended to be a lesson in medicine, but how to respond to a large influx of non-combatants," said Praske. "After evacuees filled out a medical history sheet, our part of the drill was finished."

Praske said Essex' medical team does have the capability to handle any mass casualty scenario. "We are a level two facility, which means we have surgical capabilities and the ability to treat heart failures. We are able to handle most injuries."

Maintaining security was also an integral part of the drill.

"Training like this definitely helps prepare us for an actual NEO," said Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Nicholas Fort. "Being able to get hands-on training is always beneficial."

During a NEO, Essex' entire security force would be activated, a total of more than 200 security personnel. All non-combatants present identification and pass through a metal detector before access to the ship is granted.

"Our job is to make sure that everybody on the ship is safe," said Fort. "Our primary concern is somebody bringing a weapon or contraband on board."

Clark said it was the combined effort of the security and medical teams that made the exercise a success, and that everyone involved should now be better prepared for a real-world scenario.

"This kind of exercise has enormous value," said Clark. "We learned a lot of lessons that build on what we learned the last time we did a NEO. This was a good training evolution for us and the Marines involved."

CG 09 is an annual Kingdom of Thailand and U.S. co-sponsored exercise designed to train U.S. and partner Pacific-nation forces. The exercise features multinational humanitarian civic action projects between Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the U.S, as well as a field training exercise to promote familiarity with and cohesion between these partner nation's military forces.

Essex is commanded by Capt. Brent Canady and the lead ship of the only forward-deployed U.S. Expeditionary Strike Group and serves as the flagship for CTF 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force commander. Task Force 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with a detachment in Sasebo, Japan.