VDF sharpens skills at winter storm preparedness exercise

FORT PICKETT, Va. — Members of the Virginia Defense Force conducted their semiannual Multi-Unit Training Assembly Oct. 17-19, 2025, at Fort Pickett, Virginia, with an emphasis on evaluation of organic equipment, sustainment packages and administrative readiness. The highlight of the weekend was the Highland Guard winter storm exercise designed to sharpen the VDF’s mission-essential task list skills needed for emergency response operations.

“The Highland Guardian exercise demonstrates the Virginia Defense Force’s steadfast commitment to operational excellence and mission readiness by aligning our force’s goals to that of our state and National Guard partners,” said Brig. Gen. (Va.) Rich Diddams, commander of the VDF. “By enabling company-grade officers and noncommissioned officers to command under simulated winter storm conditions, we exercise and validate our ability to effectively communicate, provide logistics and access control, as well as develop our rapid decision-making process.  

Diddams said the exercise helped confirm the VDF’s core capabilities while bolstering the unified emergency response system that protects our communities. 

“This focus on leadership, resilience and accuracy guarantees we stand side-by-side with the Guard, ready to provide critical support when Virginians need it most,” he said.

The training event focused on aligning all scenario injects from the administrative white cell to create scenario-driven challenges with mission-specific go/no-go criteria to ensure operational precision and readiness, explained Maj. (Va.) Michael Perini, the VDF’s G3 operations officer.

“Highland Guardian delivered tangible outcomes for company grade officers and non-commissioned officers,” he said. “Through hands-on execution, participants honed critical leadership skills by leading team deployments, establishing communications through multiple channels, managing logistics distribution resource teams and enforcing access control protocols. These tasks simulated real-world demands of emergency response, fostering adaptability and teamwork under pressure.”

The VDF established task forces led by company grade officers, and the officers navigated real-time decision-making and enhanced situational awareness throughout the exercise, Perini said. Field grade officers maintained meticulous documentation and mentored the company grade officers.

“This structured oversight built confidence, improved coordination and prepared units for actual winter storm scenarios,” he said. “As always, safety remained the top priority, with protocols tightly integrated into every phase of the exercise.”

As he reflected on the exercise, Perini said the VDF personnel consistently performed well and they executed missions as planned. After action reviews noted signs of fatigue among participants by the end of the training, and this observation highlighted an opportunity to focus on building endurance in future drills to ensure sustained performance in prolonged real-world operations.

“Highland Guardian underscores the VDF’s commitment to readiness, equipping leaders and soldiers with the skills and resilience needed to tackle winter storm emergencies effectively,” he said.