Posted on 12/22/2007 11:47:19 AM PST by SandRat
DUE TO operational security issues, specifics of some tactics, techniques and procedures involved in protective services detail training are not discussed.
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — The 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion doesn’t have an 0-6 — that’s a colonel.
But protecting the commander and command sergeant major is important enough for the unit to have a 16-soldier protective services detail.
Being a member of the detail entails more than just acting as a stationary or walking escort, carrying a weapon and looking around.
If for some reason the commander — Lt. Col. Linda Jantzen — or Command Sgt. Maj. John Womble become a target, the detail is expected to do everything it can to protect them, including finding a safe haven for them until a quick-reaction force appears.
The 16 soldiers of the battalion and other soldiers of different units trained Wednesday on one of the ranges at the camp complex under the watchful eyes of retired Army instructors who are experts in protecting VIPs.
In an area where camels and their herders wander, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Lynn, the noncommissioned-officer-in-charge of the battalion’s detail, worked with his team, learning from the experts. Lynn’s military career includes time in special operations.
He said how to protect “a principle” changes as insurgents develop new attack procedures.
The first day of training was driving, both defensively and aggressively, to protect the VIP.
That means, for example, that if an improvised explosive device is suspected, a protective team vehicle moves between the potential bomb “and the principle’s limousine to take the blast,” Lynn said.
But not everything revolves around vehicles. If the person being protected must leave the security of a car, then it is the team’s responsibility to get the person to safety. That may call for getting into a structure.
On the second day of training, teachers from a contract company — Military Professional Resource Instructors — led soldiers through a multilayered exercise, starting with no ammunition and ending with a live-fire scenario.
Abel Koahou, a retired Army military police officer, said that when working to ensure the safety of a principle, “it’s seconds and half-seconds that are important.”
Sandbags were used to outline a building, as soldiers from many units practiced without bullets and entered into a structure to secure it before the VIP was brought in by a bodyguard.
Repeating the drill until Koahou was satisfied, the groups moved on to a partially built structure to give soldiers a feeling of real walls, although only about 3 feet tall.
Here, the instructor began adding to the scenario.
Each step was practiced before a new element was added.
First, there was a Red Zone in the main room. The zone is called that because something, such as a piece of furniture, may be in the way and hiding an enemy.
Two team members must ensure no one is behind the furniture before continuing.
Then a body of an insurgent is added, and the team must determine if that person is dead and not booby-trapped.
Koahou shows the soldiers a quick way to determine if the insurgent is dead and how to examine for a booby trap.
The four-soldier team went through a dry run of the two scenarios before the third is added, which is a live civilian in the room who does not appear to be a threat.
Koahou said a team member must be direct and loud in directing the civilian what to do.
“You have to take control,” he said.
The team members must watch out for one another at all times, while taking on specific roles during the operation.
The final part of the puzzle was putting into play another room in the house to make sure no bad guys were hiding.
As with the other training events, it was practiced until Koahou was satisfied each team had the process down.
Then it was time for doing the exercise with live gunfire.
During the dry runs inside a training building, walls, floors and partial roof, soldiers wore their protective gear.
The first team to go through the live fire were four soldiers of the 40th’s Delta Company — Sgt. Shiloe Bender, Sgt. David Larrabee, Spc. Joshua Mullins and Pfc. Anthony Mack.
The team had two live-fire runs and, when it was over, the quartet announced they were satisfied that they knew what each of them have to do on a team.
Teamwork was critical, and all the members had to be sure each one was in place for action before moving into the house.
A pat on the leg or back told each one the person ahead of them were in place and the reverse pat or hit told each soldier they were ready to engage.
The initial action signals were quiet ones based on head nods.
Once inside the front room each member informed he others what they saw as the team quickly worked to secure the structure.,
“It was good training,” Mack said.
For Bender, while everything moved fast, it appeared as if the action was in slow motion.
Larrabee remarked the different required actions between a driving exercise and foot patrol is important and care needs to be taken to ensure the two tactics are not confused.
Mullins agreed to a point but added he believes some procedures of the two training exercise can be combined.
All said they were happy to be chosen for the special detail.
Lynn said that while the detail is primarily designed to protect the battalion’s commander and command sergeant major, it can be used to augment other needs, such as if a senior Signal Corps officer visited the area, such as Maj. Gen. Carroll Pollett, who heads the Network Enterprise Technology Command at Fort Huachuca.
The third day of the exercise would be a repeat of both days — dry and live-fire — but for score, Lynn said.
Sgt. Justin McKinnon, a chaplain assistant and driver for Chaplain (Capt.) Vincent Garcia, is one of the 40th’s team members. Garcia cannot carry a weapon, but McKinnon can.
Some of the battalion’s team joked the 40th’s religious leader will be the best protected chaplain in Iraq.
SENIOR REPORTER Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
In a training exercise to clear a building, Sgt. David Ray, of Company C, holds his rifle to the head of “an enemy combatant” a mannequin while Spc. Gregory Rollock, of the 69th Company, removes the enemy’s weapon before physically verifying the enemy is dead. Selected soldiers of the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion and other units practiced different scenarios for building clearing on Wednesday at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Suzanne Cronn-Herald/Review)
FR WAR NEWS!
Bullet into the head.
Remenber to shoot the NYT dog first.
Interesting!! Very interesting!! And, good to know, as well.
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