Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for your interest in BLACK SWAN 26. If you have a question, you might find it answered below. If not, feel free to contact the exercise director at Charles.Curtin@SDF.Ohio.gov. We look forward to working with you in this tenth annual communications exercise. Don't forget to register your station to be written into the exercise plan.

What is BLACK SWAN?

BLACK SWAN is an annual radio communications exercise (COMEX) using critical tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) needed to support multi-community (including region-wide) resilience and security through loss of primary and alternate means of communication.

Readers can get a sense of the exercise purpose, design, and conduct from previous years' After Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) documentation, e.g., BLACK SWAN 25 AAR/IP.

What is the purpose of the BLACK SWAN COMEX?

The purpose of the exercise is to understand how agencies can best engage with volunteers in the Amateur Radio Service to fulfill their missions to serve the people when usual means of communications are impacted by natural or man-made disaster.

BLACK SWAN COMEX is an annual exercise, with findings being used to develop improvement plans, including revision of TTPs, new training, and smaller exercises throughout the year to integrate these improvements.

The exercise focuses on rare but high-impact ("black swan") events that are nevertheless realistic. Rather than using fanciful ("zombie apocalypse") scenarios, the scenarios are built from the State of Ohio's Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA). Responses are focused on agency operations, as specified in the Ohio Emergency Operations Plan promulgated by the Governor of Ohio. The exercise uses the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) structure, developing findings and improving capabilities in accordance with the National Preparedness Goal (NPG), National Response Framework (NRF), and National Incident Management System (NIMS).

This year we will have exercise objectives that test five (of 32) Core Capabilities specified in the NPG, namely:

• Situational Awareness

• Operational Communications

• Public Information and Warning

• Intelligence and Information Sharing

• Cybersecurity

The Improvement Plan from this exercise is used to establish priorities and content for the next Training Year, which begins in October.

Who sponsors the exercise?

The exercise is sponsored by Joint Signal, State Defense Force Headquarters, in the Adjutant General's Department of the State of Ohio.

How is the exercise conducted?

Using HSEEP structure, a small group of Controllers performs several functions.

1. Development of the scenario and scheduling of players. The master scenario is developed around Ohio's HIRA. Based on availability indicated during station registration, controllers build scenario details to ensure that players are able to exercise when they are available, performing common tasks commensurate with the station's capabilities.

2. Release of an Exercise Plan (ExPlan) that specifies the structure of the exercise and details on conduct of play.

3. Contact with registered players to inject exercise information and instructions. Scripted injects to start play are typically delivered via phone or SMS text to the station contacts during times the registered station indicates it will be active. Scripted injects are in the form of a brevity code that players will use to find a web page with instructions that may be printed, given as an audio file, or a video. Delivery of injects that lead to media allow for player immersion into the scenario. (See, e.g., Appendix E: Injects, BLACK SWAN 25 AAR/IP.)

4. Monitor of exercise progress. Exercise injects include a procedure word (PROWORD) that players are to send back to the control cell through SMS text. Following PROWORDs as the scenario unfolds helps controllers to ensure that the stations that should be engaged are engaged and players are not left waiting for someone else to contact them.

5. Staffing of Control Cell and Simulation Cell (SimCell). Controllers and Actors work together through a single cell that is reachable by players to address questions that arise during play and to perform functions that complement the player. For example, if a player is a lone station operator of a home station but for the purpose of the exercise is to act as the radio operator at an Incident Command Post, the player may need to deliver a message from the radio to the Communications Unit Leader (COMU). As there is no real-world COMU present, the player calls the control cell to deliver the message, and may be given a verbal request to send a reply message, which the player would then format and transmit on the radio.

What is the exercise schedule?

Exercise play begins with exercise messages coming in on Tuesday evening to start the scenario. There is no radio work to be done except preparation in expectation of the possibility of conditions requiring action. (Spoiler alert: for the purpose of the exercise, action will be required!)

Early Wednesday morning, preparation work will begin, including activation of the HF nets and Winlink gateway of the Ohio State Defense Force PACE Information Network (OPIN). HF nets will begin operating Wednesday or Thursday on a twice-daily schedule (0700 and 1900 EDT), giving players an opportunity to test critical tasks in a low-stress preparation phase.

Friday will begin use of the OPIN systems and heavier flow of injects including requests of registered amateur stations. During this period we will see the heaviest agency-player engagement. Play will pause late Friday afternoon while a (notional) night shift of operators continues operating.

Saturday play will resume with updated scenario information for players to act as a day shift taking over from the (notional) night shift. Play will pause Saturday afternoon.

Sunday play will resume, with updated scenario information indicating stabilization of the conditions giving rise to the need for contingency and emergency communications methods. Requirements will reduce and demobilization will begin in some places.

Monday will see recovery and demobilization will continue.

Tuesday will complete recovery of primary and alternate communications systems and demobilization of station operators.

What do I need to do to participate?

Exercise tasking is designed to provide opportunities for players of varying experience and capability.

• Technician class licensee stations may receive Public Information and Warning agency messages, and may be asked to originate formatted messages for Situational Awareness, including Field Situation Report (FIELDSITREP), Weather Observation Report (WXOBSREP), and Signal Observation Report (SIGOBSREP).

  • Formatted report forms can be downloaded and installed in a local instance of FLMSG.

  • FLMSG can be used to populate the report.

  • Reports may be transmitted over the air if a relay station can be identified, using either digital or voice procedure.

  • Reports may be transmitted as FLMSG-saved (k2s) data attached to a Winlink message sent either over the air to a Radio Mail Server (RMS) or via Internet Protocol (IP) (transport "telnet").

• General and higher class licensee stations may perform any function specified for Technician stations as well as:

  • If HF capable, communication through OPIN HF.

  • If HF capable, relay between Technician stations and OPIN HF.

• Club stations for agency support ("agency stations") will have tasks commensurate with the licensing of the Control Operator and availability of a qualified AUXC operator. Additional assignments may include Operational Communications-related tasks such as:

  • Formatting, transmission, reception, and delivery of Incident Command System (ICS) standard forms, including General Message (213), Resource Request (213RR), and others.

  • Engagement with Actors in the SimCell via phone or videoconference as if operating from the same facility.

• AUXC qualifying operators (having completed AUXC qualification preparation course) may be assigned tasks for OPIN functions commensurate with their experience level, including:

  • HF net control

  • HF relay

• AUXC qualified operators (with complete Position Task Book (PTB) including Ohio Military Reserve Addendum) may be given additional tasking:

  • HF-Winlink Gateway

  • HF-IP Gateway ("bring message to the circuit" / ZDD)

  • Process OHGOREQ messages

  • Any task specified in the PTB including Addendum

  • If Category I, deployment to agency station (real-world or virtual)

How does this year's play differ from early years?

Since 2022, BLACK SWAN COMEX works by direct tasking of registered individual stations and direct coordination with government agencies. This structure was adopted to address persistent problems activating volunteers who set aside time to engage in exercise play.

Early iterations of this exercise were aligned with non-government organizations (NGO) that offered support to government agencies. Improvement plans showed the need for additional training, which was provided in the form of on-demand videos and functional exercises. After 2020, we stopped requesting resources through NGO leadership, and after 2021 we stopped relying on NGO-aligned nets. Since 1 July 2021, we have operated an agency-sponsored HF net, which has been developed into a four-layer (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency -- PACE) information network known as OPIN.

We are happy to work with any properly licensed volunteer, without regard to NGO affiliation.

How do I register my radio communications team (such as ARES, RACES, or REACT affiliates)?

BLACK SWAN COMEX accepts station registrations. If your radio communications team works in support of a government agency, a designated (likely, club) station can be registered, with operating schedule and contact(s) included.

BLACK SWAN COMEX does not exercise NGOs or unincorporated associations to ensure that volunteers are most fully engaged, supported, and exercised.

The most valuable resource anyone has is time and we are grateful for the many hours of on-air operation, off-air preparation, and other work put in by our volunteer community. We cite our AUXC training and qualification program and operational statistics as evidence of our engagement and support.

Don't forget!

Be sure to register your station to be written into the exercise plan.