Senior leader highlights Army Reserve’s DSCA mission Published May 5, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris 99th Regional Support Command JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - -- One of the Army Reserve's senior leaders offered his views on the organization's mission to provide Defense Support of Civil Authorities during a town hall meeting May 5 at the Timmermann Center here. James B. Balocki, Office of the Chief of Army Reserve Services and Installations command executive officer and director, spoke with Army Reserve Soldiers and civilians, as well as other Joint Base community members. "Superstorm Sandy was a harbinger of the future," Balocki said. "The 2012 NDAA added Defense Support of Civil Authorities as a mission set for the Army Reserve, so you're going to see more of that structure going forward." Balocki referred to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision that allowed the Army Reserve to provide disaster relief and emergency management to support civil authorities. In October 2012, this provision was put to the test when three Army Reserve quartermaster detachments were activated in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, becoming the first Army Reserve units to deploy in response to a domestic natural disaster under the 2012 NDAA. Other Army Reserve responses to the 1,000 mile-wide storm that tore its way across the eastern seaboard included hosting Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, establishing a refueling point for emergency vehicles at Fort Wadsworth, New York, providing the quartermaster units with water pumps from the 99th Regional Support Command headquartered here and opening the shuttered Fort Tilden Army Reserve Center to aid storm and fire victims in Breezy Point, New York. "The work that you have done in raising the importance of the Army Reserve to the nation has not gone unrecognized," said Balocki. To further the Army Reserve's role in future DSCA responses, the 99th RSC and U.S. Army Reserve Command are partnering with FEMA and U.S. Army North to conduct a unique staff exercise here in June that will test the 99th RSC's ability to manage operational requirements and stand up an operations center during a crisis. This continued role in DSCA presents a significant opportunity for the Army Reserve to meet the needs of local communities and help people recover and rebuild their lives following a disaster. "You are on the front lines in defense of our nation, and it means something very important to our citizens," Balocki said.