The Utah Wing conducted a joint exercise Sept. 13 with the Utah National Guard in what was likely Civil Air Patrol’s last Domestic Operations Awareness and Assessment Response Tool (DAART) mission, with the system scheduled to be retired Oct. 1.
The exercise was conducted to develop information awareness and assessment capabilities in response to potential natural disasters affecting Utah. The primary intent was to test and enhance interoperability among various organizations involved in emergency response.
The goal was to improve the coordination and communication between CAP and the Guard.
During the exercise, the Utah Wing team focused on assessing the condition of the Pineview, Echo, and Rockport reservoir dams in the mountains east of the Wasatch Range, northeast of Salt Lake City.
During its 1½-hour flight the aircrew — 1st Lt. Jared Loosli, mission pilot, and Capt. Scott Lewis, DAART operator, both from the Weber-Minuteman Composite Squadron — captured near real-time video footage and still photos to evaluate damage that could result from a natural disaster.
The images and video were automatically transmitted to ground personnel at each dam location. The aircrew-maintained communication with the ground team via the DAART chat function to confirm all mission objectives were met before advancing to subsequent targets._____Lt. Col. Scott MayDeputy Chief of Staff for OperationsRocky Mountain Region
