Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Farina | Sgt. 1st Class Hanan Khader, platoon sergeant for the 591st Military Police Company,...... read more read more
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Train as you would fight.
The 591st Military Police Company out of Fort Bliss, Texas conducted the Law Enforcement Weapons Training and Qualification, or LEWTAQ range, August 17th on Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
LEWTAQ is the MP corps’ new Military Occupational Specialty standard for weapons qualification, said 1st Lt. Derek Drouin, the Multinational Battle Group - East deputy provost marshal and platoon leader of the 591st MP Co. All MP Soldiers will need to qualify through the LEWTAQ starting October 1, 2017. MPs who cannot pass the qualification can potentially be reclassed into another MOS.
The purpose and importance for the implementation of the LEWTAQ is apparent to Drouin.
“The new LEWTAQ range will better prepare our MPs to engage in a real life situation,” said Drouin.
The LEWTAQ is very different from the Army standard M4 carbine and M9 pistol qualification, as described by Drouin. There are 12 firing iterations for the rifle and 11 iterations for the pistol. These iteration tables vary with the distance of firing lines ranging from 3 to 50 meters, movement of the firer and weapons transitions. They also incorporate weapons failure drills, shot locations on target and time restrictions.
“You’re timed with an extremely limited amount of time,” said Drouin. “Some of the tables are only 1.5 seconds in order to get two shots off. That includes drawing from the holster.”
Drouin detailed examples for the differences in grading for the LEWTAQ. For time, if rounds hit on target after the buzzer, then the grader will not count those rounds. For shot location on target, certain firing iterations differentiate between the head and the body of the target. There is an iteration that challenges the firer to shoot the head once and the body twice. If the firer shoots the body once and the head twice, then that misplaced round will not count.
“Challenging. That’s a good description for the new LEWTAQ. It’s very challenging,” said Spc. Jesus Avalos, the MNBG-East desk sergeant out of the 591st MP Co.
Avalos firmly believes that the LEWTAQ will greatly benefit the MP corps because it forces firers to react with their weapons during split second situations. He said the standard weapons qualifications allows for firers take their time with their rifle pressed against a sand bag or stabilizing themselves in the kneeling position. The LEWTAQ introduces a real-world aspect of stress, movement and time.
“In real life you’re not going to have that time to sit there and assess the situation,” explained Avalos. “Sometimes it’s going to be a split-second decision.”
For Sgt. Javon Gray, squad leader for the 591st MP Co., the LEWTAQ is vital for the MP corps due to the unpredictable and potentially dangerous nature of law enforcement duties. The new standard of qualification demands skilled execution.
“When I think of LEWTAQ, I think train as you fight,” said Gray.
Gray is phase-two, special reaction team certified which means he is trained at the marksman level of sniper and is skilled in tactics used by police SWAT teams.
The LEWTAQ developed out of the weapons training conducted by advanced MP schools such as SRT, Gray explained. His prior weapons experience involving the concepts behind the LEWTAQ has allowed for him to help the Soldiers who are experiencing this demanding level of shooting for the first time.
Gray said he shared a lot of knowledge-based tips involving proven basic techniques for holding a rifle, how to breathe during these stress-inducing firing iterations and how to adjust the body for a more aggressive and stable shooting posture.
They are the skills for beyond the four fundamentals of marksmanship and Gray is a subject matter expert. He stresses the importance of practicing these skills for first responders who someday may have to react to a threat in real time.
An active shooter event is what comes to Gray’s mind when having to utilize LEWTAQ level weapons skills.
“Once you come in contact with an active shooter, you’re not just going to go into the prone supported,” said Gray. “You’re going to react to contact standing or walking toward the objective.”
With the LEWTAQ going into effect for fiscal year 2018 as the standard for MPs across the Army, the 591st MP Co. is ahead of the curve.
Out of the 11 MPs who shot the LEWTAQ, 4 of them qualified on expert, according to Drouin.
“I feel confident knowing that the Soldiers I’m going to have in the future are all going to be expert marksmen,” said Drouin. “Even if they don’t necessarily qualify expert on LEWTAQ, they’re going to be a lot better at shooting than someone who is just shooting the old qualifications.”
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2017 14:08 |
| Story ID: | 245926 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 6,603 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Military Police Conduct New Marksmanship Qualification, by SFC Nicholas Farina, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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