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DRAPER — A thundering rotor wash swept across the training grounds as a military helicopter touched down, soldiers rushing forward with a stretcher carrying one of their own. It was only a drill — but one designed to feel uncomfortably real. The Utah National Guard on Thursday launched Exercise Wolverine, a large‑scale, multi‑agency disaster‑response training event built around a scenario many officials say no longer feels theoretical: a compromised U.S. homeland.“We’re moving patients down to our medical element,” one soldier called out as teams practiced rapid evacuation procedures. Nearby, another group of service members worked through a very different crisis. The sound of saws echoed through a rubble pile as teams cut through concrete to reach simulated victims of a terrorist‑set explosive. “It causes the mass‑casualty rubble pile in addition to a hazmat scenario,” an exercise leader explained. “There’s a search and extraction operation going on involving teams breaking concrete, breaking into confined spaces and rescuing patients.” Maj. Gen. Daniel Boyack, Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard, said the exercise reflects a shift in how military leaders view domestic security. “This is the first exercise we’ve conducted where the entire concept is based on a contested homeland,” Boyack said. “For years we’ve believed the homeland was a sanctuary. That assumption is changing, and Exercise Wolverine allows us to explore what defending the homeland truly looks like.” The scenario includes a simulated train derailment, cyber threats and coordinated attacks on critical infrastructure — all unfolding simultaneously. “We’re simulating that there was a train derailment,” one participant said. “With each of those patients we had head injuries, fractures (and) severe burns.” The Guard emphasized that the drill isn’t about assigning blame or identifying a culprit — it’s about solving the immediate problem. “The more we can practice in joint operations, the more successful we will be if we actually are called on to do something,” one service member said. From mass‑casualty triage to cyber defense, the exercise is designed to test how quickly agencies can mobilize and how effectively they can work together under pressure. It also includes no‑notice recall drills to measure rapid‑response capability. The Utah National Guard conducts exercises like Wolverine regularly, but leaders said this one marks a turning point in scale and realism.
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