In the second half of their two-part episode, host Tom Spahr and Sean Shields discuss the Hurricane Helene relief efforts in western North Carolina. Shields details his experience leading the 20th Engineer Brigade and the critical importance of collaborating with other organizations like FEMA, the National Guard, and local officials. He notes this was a real-world application of his Army War College studies on defense support to civil authorities. The mission also marked the first use of the Maven system on an unclassified network, which provided a crucial, real-time common operating picture for all involved stakeholders.
Speed of information is critical…in combat, but it’s also critical in disaster relief where you’re trying to save American lives… Maven was that collaborative tool that allowed us to do that.
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Sean Shields is a U.S. Army colonel and the commander of the 20th Engineer. As a career engineer officer who previously led the 5th Battalion, 4th Security of Forces Assistance Brigade, and the 54th Engineer Battalion, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Sean deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan 4 times and several times Eastern Europe as an adviser. He also supported the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2010 and in 2024, after Hurricane Helene. He is a native of Carlisle, PA, and is a graduate of the AY24 Resident Program at the U.S. Army War College.
Thomas W. Spahr is the  DeSerio Chair of Theater and Strategic Intelligence at the U.S. Army War College. He is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army and holds a Ph.D. in History from The Ohio State University. He teaches courses at the Army War College on Military Campaigning and Intelligence.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.
Photo Description: U.S. Army soldiers with Task Force Castle arrive to assist locals clear debris from Hurricane Helene in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, on Oct. 15, 2024.
Photo Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Dylan Burnell
