A military training center in Jennings County will play a key role in the largest disaster response exercises in the nation.
The Indiana National Guard is hosting Vibrant Response and Guardian Response at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville (MUTC) and Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh until April 29.
About 5,200 soldiers and civilians will be housed, trained and transported throughout Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson Jennings and Johnson counties during the exercises, according to an Indiana National Guard news release.
Vibrant Response and Guardian Response, sponsored by the U.S. Army North and U.S Forces Command, are designed to train soldiers and civilians in rapid and efficient responses to many types of disasters, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies, the release said.
Participants in the exercise will include members of the Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Indiana National Guard, Michigan National Guard and several other local, state and federal agencies, the Indiana National Guard said.
“Indiana’s Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck training facilities are excellent locations to host an exercise of this scale and magnitude and, without a doubt, the participants will receive the most realistic training available,” said Camp Atterbury Garrison Commander John Silva.
MUTC features high-rise buildings, school buildings, residential structures, chapels and other buildings that provide a realistic training environment for emergencies within urban settings. Camp Atterbury is a year-round military training center that trains members of all branches of military service as well as civilian police forces and emergency response teams.
The majority of Guardian Response will occur at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, while the majority of the Vibrant Response will occur at Camp Atterbury, said Indiana National Guard spokesperson Capt. Jesse Bien.
“Vibrant Response is more for the headquarters response issues,” Bien said, “and the Guardian Response phase relates more to the training for the boots on the ground.”
During the exercises, residents of the surrounding counties can expect to see increased military equipment and transportation vehicles on the roadways between Camp Atterbury and MUTC. Air traffic also will increase. Some participants will be housed in local hotels and will dine in local eateries, Bien said.
All roads in and around MUTC will be frequently closed or experience significant delays to local traffic through April 27, due to the training events. Motorists are advised to take an alternative route and avoid the area. Exceptions will be made for school buses, emergency vehicles and large farm equipment, the National Guard said.
