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last modified: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 |
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original release date:
10/26/04 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Civil Air Patrol signs an official Memorandum of Understanding
with 1st Air Force Northern Command |
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| MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — 1st Air Force, the air component of the U.S. Northern Command, has signed an official memorandum of understanding with Civil Air Patrol, the civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, and CAP-USAF, the agency charged with advice, liaison, and oversight of CAP. According to the agreement, 1st Air Force will consider the use of CAP air and ground capabilities as an option for any of its non-combat missions. CAP has thousands of members throughout the nation trained to assist in search and rescue, disaster relief, damage impact assessment and aerial reconnaissance. CAP is a cost-effective resource for such Air Force-assigned missions since its members are all volunteers. The agreement was signed Wednesday at Tyndall AFB, Fla., headquarters for 1st Air Force, by Maj. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, commander of 1st Air Force, Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander, and Col. George Vogt, commander of CAP-USAF. “Civil Air Patrol has really made its mark on the way 1st Air Force does business,” McKinley said. “This memorandum of understanding simply solidifies the relationship we’ve been building over the last several years.” Also present for the signing were Brig. Gen. Marcel J. Duval, Canadian Forces deputy commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region; Brig. Gen. Antonio Pineda, national vice-commander of CAP; and Al Allenback, CAP executive director. "We are proud to be partners with 1st Air Force,” Wheless said. “Working with Northern Command gives us the opportunity to contribute to our nation’s security in a meaningful way. We take very seriously the gesture of trust that this MOU signifies.” "This MOU codifies the command and control lines between CAP and 1st Air Force,” Allenback said. “CAP is the best value in homeland security today, and this agreement opens the door to CAP’s providing even more support for agencies throughout the nation that need our services." CAP has been working on a limited basis with 1st Air Force for more than two years, assisting the Air Force on such exercises as Determined Promise 03 and 04, which measured the nation’s ability to respond effectively during a simulated terrorist attack. CAP also assisted the Air Force with security for the G8 Summit in Georgia, which brought together key government leaders from throughout the world. In the last few months, CAP has worked closely with 1st Air Force to provide ground and aerial damage impact assessment for areas struck by hurricanes and tornados. Much of CAP’s work has been focused on the state of Florida, where CAP has more than 4,000 members. CAP has also assisted in security training missions for 1st Air Force by using its planes to pose as suspicious aircraft, allowing the Air Force to assess the speed and effectiveness of its response. On Air Force-assigned missions, CAP works under the auspices of active-duty Air Force officials assigned to CAP National Headquarters, as well as CAP-USAF liaison officers in each of CAP’s eight regions. CAP members cannot fly missions that involve actual combat or combat training deemed more hazardous than normal CAP activities. CAP members also cannot perform the duties reserved for law enforcement officials, such as detaining or arresting individuals, or gathering information for intelligence purposes. Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization with almost 62,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. |
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Photo:
Download high-resolution photo here: CUTLINE: Civil Air Patrol signed an official Memorandum of Understanding with 1st Air Force Northern Command on Oct. 20, 2004 at 1st Air Force headquarters, Tyndall AFB, Fla. Those signing the agreement were, left to right, Col. George Vogt, commander of Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force; Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander; and Maj. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, commander of 1st Air Force.
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