Keesler AFB, Miss., is acting as the primary aerial hub for Ultimate Cadeuceus, this week’s national-level interagency disaster response exercise spanning several states. Keesler will act as the collection point for mock casualties from a simulated 7.7-magnitude earthquake northwest of Memphis, Tenn., that results in nearly 1,200 critical injuries. From Keesler, participating Coast Guard and civilian medical helicopters will evacuate these mock patients. “The exercise is designed to build upon lessons learned from prior events,” said Robert Tash, Keesler’s emergency management coordinator. “Keesler will activate the National Disaster Medical System Federal Coordinating Center and a patient reception area,” routing patients to participating hospitals in the area, Tash added. Exercise participants include those from several FEMA regions and the eight states of the central US Earthquake Consortium: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. (Keesler report by Steve Pivnick)
The defense intelligence community has tried three times in the past decade to build a “common intelligence picture”—a single data stream providing the information that commanders need to make decisions about the battlefield. The first two attempts failed. But officials say things are different today.