SATERN and the Patriot North 2019 Exercise

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to use your emergency communications radio equipment and skills in the most realistic situations? Have you thought about how you would adapt to operating under difficult conditions or when things don’t go as planned when people are depending on you? The Defense Department’s Patriot North Exercise provides that arena to test those limits and to do it while working directly with the military and other agencies.

Each July, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) has the opportunity to participate in the Patriot North Exercise at Volk Field and Fort McCoy in southwestern Wisconsin. The Patriot North Exercise is national in scope and is a Domestic Operations (DOMOPS) training exercise sponsored by the National Guard Bureau (NGB). It provides a forum for inter-agency coordination with local, state, and federal governments, as well as civilian organizations, during a disaster situation. Volk Field Air National Guard Base is a military airport located near Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. Fort McCoy is a United States Army installation located on 60,000 acres between Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin.

SATERN is the communications arm of Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) which, in turn, is a branch of the Salvation Army. The goal for SATERN is to provide uninterrupted radio communications for the Salvation Army’s Incident Command Team, shelters, and canteens that are deployed during a disaster when normal communication infrastructure is impaired or otherwise not available. During a disaster, Salvation Army EDS typically provides hydration, food, shelter, and “emotional and spiritual care” (ESC) for individuals in need in an affected area, and this was its role during the Patriot North Exercise.

SATERN Communicators are licensed amateur radio operators who have volunteered their services and equipment to support Salvation Army EDS. These hams have received additional training and are subsequently credentialed through Salvation Army EDS before they are qualified to be deployed in the field, including participation in exercises such as Patriot North. This year, a total of 74 Salvation Army EDS volunteers participated, of whom 17 were SATERN