Members of the Utah Army National Guard and Civil Air Patrol participated in a flight exercise focused on capturing imagery of critical infrastructure and key resources across the Salt Lake Valley as part of Exercise Red Iguana on August 22, 2026.
The exercise specifically focused on earthquake disaster response in Salt Lake County.
Aerial imagery was used to collect information on specific points of interest for this year’s Incident Awareness and Assessment (IAA). This data will be used to help improve planning and response efforts in future natural disasters.
Lt. Col. Deborah Gatrell, deputy intelligence director with the Utah National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, said that quick information is needed to support both local responders and the Utah National Guard commander’s decision making. Gatrell stated that collection priorities focused on the transportation, medical, water, and hazardous material community lifelines in the Federal Emergency Management Agency framework.
The exercise utilized UH-72 Lakota helicopters from Detachment 1, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment (Security and Support) UTNG, and a Cessna 182 Turbo aircraft from the Civil Air Patrol. The aerial imagery captured during the exercise can help responders assess conditions and respond quickly and effectively following an earthquake.
Lt. Col. Steve Holmes, chief of staff of the Utah Wing Civil Air Patrol, said that the exercise helps develop professional relationships that serve into the future. Holmes noted that increased understanding and working together improves communication, information transfer, and resource sharing.
The Civil Air Patrol provides capabilities including Cessna aircraft modified for search and rescue and reconnaissance, as well as the Skydio X10D small unmanned aircraft system used for aerial photography and search and rescue.
Lt. Col. Gatrell stated that the exercise is being used to gather information on capabilities from both manned and unmanned airframes from the Civil Air Patrol and the Utah National Guard to inform solutions for military and civilian incident commanders.
