Photo By Sgt. 1st Class David Bruce | Military Police from the 38th Military Police Company, 38th Infantry Division, cover a...... read more read more
MUSCATATUCK URBAN TRAINING CENTER, Ind. — After a decade of warfare, the status quo for a National Guard unit’s annual training bears little semblance to the event typically perceived as “2-weeks in the summer.”
This year’s annual training mission for the Indiana Army National Guard’s 38th Military Police Company of the 38th Infantry Division in Indianapolis was to assist in the training of civilians participating in the Department of Defense Civilian Expeditionary Workforce and Department of State Foreign Service Institute as they prepare for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
While the civilian training is the focus of these programs, military units use their participation to conduct training of their own.
According to Sgt. Carl Youker, it is a good opportunity for the MPs to improve their skills.
“We’re focusing on convoy operations and personnel security,” said Youker. “We’re here to teach the civilians how military operations are performed.”
The 38th MP Company is a combat support military police unit with primary functions while deployed of convoy operations, cordon and search, and personnel security details.
In this capacity, the MPs are treated somewhat like a mobilizing unit, said Youker, they live on a contingency operating base, receive classes from subject matter experts from Muscatatuck’s training personnel and practice what they learned.
“A lot of civilians are deployed in country and they use military police for security,” said Youker. “This gives some of the new guys a chance to see the bigger picture.”
The MPs performed convoy security operations for the civilians, getting them from one training vignette to the next in a safe manner. Once they arrived at the location of the training event, the security detail would scout the venue for the civilians to ensure they could conduct their business in a secure environment. During meetings with role players who portray host nation representatives resolving reconstruction efforts, elements of the personnel security detail would be on hand if the civilians felt threatened during negotiations. Once these training events concluded, the MPs had to escort the civilians from the meeting to their respective vehicles safely. At all steps of the way they remained ever vigilant should opposing forces attack.
The soldiers were receptive to the prospect of helping training the civilians, said Master Sgt. Robert Hattabaugh, senior operations noncommissioned officer with the 38th MP Company.
“Everything is a training opportunity, though this training is not directed at us,” said Hattabaugh. “The soldiers get a two day train-up which is a refresher for the older guys and gives the younger soldiers a chance to learn new procedures.”
The first week of the annual training period for the 38th MP Company was spent training with members of the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce, and the second week was spent with the Foreign Service Institute students as both groups prepared for deployments, said Hattabaugh.
“The civilians need experience integrating with military personnel, so they know what to expect from their [personnel security detail], what to do during convoy operations and emergency procedures,” said Hattabaugh.
The military units, such as the 38th MP Company, involved in these civilian programs are essential according to Rory Aylward, an Afghanistan subject matter expert training the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce.
“This program couldn’t exist without soldiers and support of the National Guard. They’re here to help facilitate the training for the civilians. In country, the civilians are dependent on the military; they have to forge a relationship to be successful,” said Aylward.
In a way, they are each other’s training aid. The civilians learn how soldiers operate and how operational decisions are made. The soldiers get to experience what the civilians can bring to the fight. Both sides gain a greater understanding of roles they have in the collective war effort and how they interact, said Aylward.
“The MPs already understand the security mission. It’s great for them to be exposed to this type of mission,” said Aylward, referring to the integration with civilians. “The soldiers learn flexibility and to minimize the risks that the civilians have to take.”
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2011 20:15 |
| Story ID: | 63973 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Indiana National Guard Soldiers help prepare civilians for deployment, by SFC David Bruce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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