Elements from the 9th Mission Support Command deployed to Guam from Fort Shafter, Hawaii, to take charge of Task Force West as part of Typhoon Mawar response.

“I’m glad we were able to arrive quickly and help,” said Col. Chris Nagelvoort, TF-W forward command element chief and the deputy dual-status commander for Title X. “The significance of this mission is twofold; most importantly, the disaster hit close to home as many of our 9th MSC reservists live on Guam and were dramatically affected. Second, we just completed a rapid mobilization exercise on Oahu, so we were prepared to rapidly deploy to Guam with the right sized command structure and equipment package, which expedited immediate assistance upon arrival.”

Since Mawar’s direct hit on Guam in late May, the island has been affected with power and water loss, obstructed roadways and dangerous debris. Military units have been tasked by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with providing support through the mission assignment task order (MATO) process. All service branches have units currently involved in recovery efforts.

TF-W is the joint military command task force organized to plan, coordinate, support and oversee the execution of MATOs on Guam in response to Typhoon Mawar. Its purpose is to save lives, prevent human suffering and mitigate property damage.

The 9th MSC is a U.S. Army Reserve command under the operational control of U.S. Army Pacific Command, providing trained and ready forces for overseas contingency operations as well as to Disaster Assistance and Response operations. Their deployment to Guam is in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the government of Guam’s request for assistance with disaster recovery from the devastation caused by Typhoon Mawar.

As the most geographically dispersed Army Reserve command, the 9th MSC operates across seven time zones and nine Army Reserve facilities spread throughout three countries, three states and three American territories. Additionally, 35 languages are accounted for at the command, which provides linguist support to U.S. Army Pacific Command.

The 9th MSC plays a vital role in approximately 20 annual and bi-annual exercises under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Theater Security Cooperation Program, providing humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and defense support of civil authorities.