Colonel Andrew P. Powers is the Vice Commander, 121st Air Refueling Wing (ARW), Ohio Air National Guard, located at Rickenbacker International Airport, Columbus, Ohio. The 121 ARW is comprised of over 1,200 personnel who operate and support air refueling, cargo transport, medical evacuation, engineering, communications, security, and weather missions across the globe. Homeland Defense is a significant portion of 121 ARW’s mission as members of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Enhanced (CBRNE) Response Force Package and the Fatality Search and Recovery Team. These elements provide an integral part of the National Guard’s Homeland Response Force (HRF). The HRF is assigned to Federal Emergency Management Agency Region V and allows the Department of Defense to quickly respond in the event of a catastrophic incident by providing the necessary life-saving capabilities to the area within hours of notification.