Photo By Capt. Matthew Gilbert | Spc. Kevin Morrison (left) and Sgt. David Caldwell (right), Military Police, 269th...... read more read more
NOVO SELO, Bulgaria – Soldiers and military police from the Tennessee Army National Guard and Marines provide important base security in Bulgaria during Operation Resolute Castle.
The 194th Engineer Brigade, Tennessee Army National Guard holds mission command over Operation Resolute Castle, a division of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a United States of America and NATO led operation in Eastern Europe tasked with improving interoperability between militaries, emboldening local economies, and building lasting relationships with the host nations. While most divisions of Operation Atlantic Resolve – Operation Dragoon Ride, Operation Sarmis, Operation Anakonda – focus on interoperability of militaries through simulated combat operations, Operation Resolute Castle focuses on military construction of bases in Hungary, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
It is unusual for a State National Guard Unit to hold command over such a large operation. However, the partnership here makes sense. The Tennessee Army National Guard and the country of Bulgaria have been partnered together for over the past two decades, completing several joint training missions together. Several other units joined in
Operation Resolute Castle as well, including units from the United States Army Reserve, United States Army Europe, and State Army National Guards from Alabama and Mississippi, as well as the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy.
Such a widespread operation requires widespread protection of equipment and personnel. Every day during this operation, protection is provided by military police from the Tennessee Army National Guard and Marines from the United States Marine Corps. These Service members kept the base safe, often pulling 24 gate security.
Soldiers like Specialist Kevin Patrick Morrison and Sergeant David Michael Caldwell, military police with the 269th Military Police Company, 168th Military Police Battalion, 194th Engineer Brigade, Tennessee Army National Guard provided this security.
For Spc. Morrison, traveling to Bulgaria was the next step in the development of his military career. At 32 years old, after 8 years working at Nissan, several as an emissions compliance engineer, he joined the National Guard because he wanted a challenge.
“I wanted to challenge myself, and I didn’t want to have any regrets later in life. I wanted to try to say I did it. I also wanted to honor people who served before – friends family, people I don’t really know, even.”
For Spc. Morrison, traveling to Bulgaria was also a chance to see opportunity both for him to see the world as well work with other military police in the Tennessee Army National Guard. He stated that the best part was “Just experiencing the culture,” adding that “Bulgaria is one of those places – I had to look it up on a map when I heard I was coming here. I’ve been surprised – pleasantly surprised.” Professionally, the operation allowed him “to work with different soldiers of my unit that I don’t normally interact with. I get to work closely with soldiers I don’t see very often.”
For Sgt. Caldwell, 29, a career in the National Guard allows him to improve his skills used in the civilian world as well as continue his family tradition of military service.
“I knew I wanted to be in public service,” stated Sgt. Caldwell, adding that he joined because he placed a priority on “service, service to my country, and [because] my brother-in-law at the time was in. My family has a history in military service, so I also wanted to participate in that history”
“Being able to work with different people goes a long way in my civilian career as well as my military career, overcoming that communications difference, which can go really far in the civilian world as well,” stated Sgt. Caldwell.
Protecting the interests of the base also means testing security capabilities.
To do this, the Tennessee Army National Guard and the United States Marine Corps staged a fake terrorist attack to test their readiness to defend the base.
Participating in the exercise were Specialist Kermit Weatherholt and Sergeant Rico Cruz, two military policemen with the 251st Military Police Company, 168th Military Police Battalion, 194th Engineer Brigade, Tennessee Army National Guard. Their task was to play the role of opposing forces in a staged assault on the front gate of Novo Selo Training Area.
“My role was to be the active shooter, I’m the one who actually made it past the gate to get into the building. My goal was to try to hold my ground against the MPs when they came in,” stated Spc. Weatherholt. He was impressed by the way the Bulgarian Military Police responded, stating “[t]hey came in pretty smoothly, they did a good job searching me and making sure I was still alive. They kept an eye towards my direction as the others searched the building.”
Sgt. Cruz was equally impressed with the way the Bulgarians responded. “It was all face paced. They knew what to do. They were quick. They knew how to react to whatever happened,” he stated.
After the training was complete, the military police from the Tennessee Army National Guard used the exercise as an opportunity to improve their own tactics. After the exercise, Spc. Weatherholt explains the benefits of the cross-training: “One benefit that I saw, I’m used to being on the other side, seeing how they set up security for each other, I immediately saw ways that we could improve, even when they were doing the room clearing.”
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2016 08:13 |
| Story ID: | 203167 |
| Location: | NOVO SELO, BG |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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