"Vigilant Guard 08" is a Tennessee National Guard-hosted exercise designed to test the National Guard as the first military responder in support of the governor and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, in the event of a catastrophic emergency within the state. The exercise will be in response to a simulated 7.6 Richter magnitude scale earthquake along the New Madrid fault line near Memphis.

"Vigilant Guard 08" reinforces that all emergency incidents are locally controlled and the National Guard is a “force multiplier” for local and state first responders. The exercise will demonstrate the capabilities of the Tennessee National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, the Joint Task Force-Tennessee, and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s ability to assist local responders under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).  EMAC is the process where Governors reach out to other governors for additional assistance in emergency situations.

More than 1, 775 National Guard and civilian response personnel from Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri will take part in the exercise.

Tennessee National Guard units taking part in the exercise include the 30^th Troop Command, headquartered in Tullahoma; Nashville’s 118^th Airlift Wing; the 230^th Sustainment Brigade headquartered in Chattanooga and Memphis; Knoxville’s 134^th Air Refueling Wing, 228^th Combat Communications Squadron and 278^th Armored Cavalry Regiment; Memphis’ 134^th Airlift Wing; and the 194^th Engineer Brigade, headquartered in Jackson.  The Joint Operations Center which controls all National Guard assets during an event will locate at the Volunteer Training Center in Smyrna.

The 45^th Civil Support Team (CST) from Tennessee will be joined by the 5^th CST from Illinois, the 41^st CST from Kentucky and the 7^th CST from Illinois.  Each CST is comprised of 22 full-time Army and Air National Guard personnel divided into six sections: command, operations, communications, administration/logistics, medical, and survey. Each unit encompasses 14 Army Military Occupational Skills and 57 Air Force Specialty Codes.  The CST’s are equipped with a command vehicle, operations trailer, a communications vehicle called the Unified Command Suite (which provides a broad range of communications capabilities including satellite communications), an Analytical Laboratory System vehicle (containing a full suite of analysis equipment to support the determination of the hazard) and other general purpose vehicles. The CST normally deploys using its assigned vehicles, but can be airlifted if required.

Another major player is the Illinois National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) - Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP).  Their mission is to provide immediate response capability to search an incident site, including damaged buildings; rescue any casualties, decontaminate them, and perform medical triage and initial treatment to stabilize them for transport to a medical facility (this includes extracting anyone trapped in the rubble).

The Shelby County EMA, Fire Department, & Sheriff's Office; The Memphis Fire & Police Departments; the Tennessee State Guard and the Millington Fire & Police Departments are also major players in this multi-county exercise.

The field portion of the exercise will take place on April 19-23, 2008 at the Naval Support Activity (NAVSUPPACT) Mid-South located in Millington, Tennessee, just north of Memphis.