Maine Guard organizes special reaction unit

PORTLAND – The Maine National Guard has established a special reaction force to help civil authorities deal with a terrorist attack or other civil emergency, officials say.

The Counter Terror Reaction Force will be able to deploy more than 40 soldiers anywhere in the state within four hours and another 140 within 24 hours, said Maj. Peter Rogers, spokesman for the Maine National Guard.

Similar teams are being set up in states across the country, he said.

“The National Guard has played a huge role in homeland defense, and it’s something we have the capability to do so we picked up that mission,” Rogers said.

In Maine, the assignment was given to members of the 152nd Maintenance Company based in Augusta. The members had been on alert for several months for possible deployment overseas and only recently learned they were not being activated.

In the meantime, however, the unit received extensive training on functions like running checkpoints, searching vehicles and protecting important infrastructure, Rogers said.

The state already maintains a civil support team, trained in responding to chemical, biological or nuclear emergencies. As the civil support team helps fire departments handle hazards, the special reaction force will assist state, county and local police.

“It’s just going to be another resource that’s available – one of those resources we hope we never need,” said Lynette Miller, a spokeswoman for the Maine Emergency Management Agency.

Many units and soldiers have the capabilities of the special reaction force, and often must man checkpoints and protect their own facilities.

The new assignment is as much about responding quickly as it is special tactics.

Rogers said the soldiers will plan scenarios based on an assessment of strategic facilities in the state. Those typically include oil terminals, power plants and communications centers.