President James Buchanan said, "The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there." In that spirit, Alaska National Guard leaders have built on their preemptive measures to mitigate the potential harm done by the COVID-19 coronavirus.
More than a month has passed since President Donald J. Trump issued a national emergency declaration in response to the pandemic, and Alaska still maintains one of the lowest contraction rates and death tolls in the nation.
In early March, Alaska's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, under the authority of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, activated the State Emergency Operations Center to establish a network of available resources for partner agencies and local communities.
The governor then initiated a unified command structure between the Department of Health and Social Services, Department of Public Safety and DMVA to ensure a swift, effective response to COVID-19 and to augment potentially overwhelmed communities.
Additionally, Joint Task Force Alaska stood up to provide a coordinated effort for Alaska Organized Militia forces to support the state. Alaska Organized Militia includes the Army and Air National Guard, the Alaska State Defense Force and the Alaska Naval Militia.
"I can't help but be aware of the fact that we stand, once again, on the stage of history," said Army Capt. James Tollefson, a Joint Task Force Alaska operations plans officer. "The COVID crisis will subside eventually and be followed by landmark reforms and legislation, just like [Hurricane] Katrina, the Enron collapse, the Great Recession and 9/11 were. Each of us engaged in this response will have played a small but essential part of that historical drama."
In state emergencies like this pandemic, the National Guard is called upon as a last-resort measure to fulfill missions when other state, private and nonprofit resources are unavailable or unable to meet requests directly related to an emergency or disaster.
"The Guard is unique in that it has this state role and the ability to respond on behalf of our fellow Alaskans in their darkest hour," Tollefson said. "It motivates me to know that while people are hunkering down, we're actively preparing to go forth and take care of our communities."
Joint Task Force Alaska has the equipment, facilities, personnel, training and experience to meet logistical, transportation and safety requirements for the state upon request.
Due to the unprecedented response requirements of the pandemic, Joint Task Force Alaska works to perfect the response force's battle rhythm to ensure maximum efficiency.
"We've engaged in a lot of crucial relationship building with our brothers and sisters in the organized militia," Tollefson said. "It will make a huge difference if this response ramps up, and we've done a lot of internal process refinement to ensure that we're ready to go when the time comes."
Under the leadership of Joint Task Force Alaska, the Alaska National Guard and the rest of the organized militia have met the challenges set before them, Tollefson said. While the future of the COVID-19 pandemic is uncertain, Alaskans everywhere can rest assured that members of the National Guard, Alaska State Defense Force and Naval Militia will be there to protect their neighbors in their time of need.
"Our people are ready," he said. "They're volunteering at the Bean's Café kitchen, screening passengers at airports and helping with logistics in the Department of Health and Social Services warehouse."
"Quietly, inexhaustibly, behind-the-scenes, we are there, working and planning to keep Alaskans safe," the captain continued. "And if the need arises, there will be many hundreds more who follow where these first few have led the way."
(Army Sgt. Seth LaCount is assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard.)