Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexander Skripnichuk | After the Bulgarian military policemen gain confidence that the riot shields will...... read more read more
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HOHENFELS, Germany – As Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division train during their two-month stay in Germany, they take an opportunity to teach and learn from their NATO counterparts.
Many military operations require Soldiers to interact with civilian populations.
On Oct. 29, Sgt. 1st Class Ivan Alvira, a military policeman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div., teamed up with 2nd Lt. James Bain, an MP officer in the 89th Military Police Brigade, to train with their MP counterparts from the Bulgarian Army.
On a chilly, cloud covered day, more than 15 Bulgarian Military police gathered for the event.
Each Soldier received a clear plastic shield, a visor for their helmet, a baton and a pair of crowd-control knee-to-shin pads.
Once the Soldiers were wearing their equipment, Alvira stood in front of the formation demonstrating the proper wear and use of each component.
“It was a little challenging interacting with the Bulgarian soldiers with the language barrier,” said Alvira, a Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico native. “Luckily the Bulgarian commander had a good understanding of the English language.”
Once the soldiers had a feel for their equipment, Bain read a set of instructions over the crowd-control speaker and introduced movement commands such as: shields up, move forward and halt. The commands were shouted several times over the speaker as the Bulgarian troops practiced the movements.
“I was able to become a certified instructor in non-lethal weapons shortly before coming to Germany,” said Bain. “I am grateful that I am able to participate in this training with our multinational partners.”
With the basics out of the way, it was time to for the troops to gain some trust in their equipment.
“Shields up,” said Alvira, whose command was quickly followed by the Bulgarian commander, repeating the command in his native tongue.
When facing a crowd of unfriendly people there is only one sure way to know your equipment will work as it is intended – put it to the test. So, for a short time, the troops wiped the serious looks off their faces and got ready for a little fun as they warmed-up their throwing arms. The Soldiers divided into groups and took turns interlocking their shields into a single wall as their peers threw muddy rocks of all sizes at them.
“We build the troop’s confidence that their equipment works,” said Alvira. He said it lets the military policemen know that their equipment works and will protect them.
After having their shields pelted with rocks, they moved onto more realistic scenarios, confident in their new skills and equipment.
With 1st BCT, 1st CAV Soldiers participating in Combined Resolve III, developing interoperability and building relationships with their NATO allies, this training is just one example of how Soldiers from different nations can work together to achieve a single goal – to be proficient in non-lethal crowd-control.
“With this training we can depend on our allies to be skillful in exercising crowd-control should a situation arise,” said Alvira. “We can depend on them to keep the crowd safe and not escalate the situation.”
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2014 15:15 |
| Story ID: | 147224 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, DE |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, The basics of crowd control, by SSG Alexander Skripnichuk, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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