Military Police

Spring 2013

Military Police contains information about military police functions in maneuver and mobility support, area security, law and order, internment/resettlement, and police intelligence operations.

Issue link: https://militarypolice.epubxp.com/i/115206

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 12 of 47

Left: Medevac operation along MSR Tampa Right: The 504th Military Police Battalion commander providing a mission brief to an incoming unit In September 2003, the 504th Military Police Battalion began to involve the Iraqis in highway security and enforcement by establishing the Iraqi Highway Patrol in Babil Province. Working with the regional Coalition Provisional Authority, the battalion received funding for the construction of three 24-hour highway patrol stations along MSR Tampa. This was part of a program designed to build, develop, and improve the Àedgling highway patrol system, which eventually grew into an Iraqi law enforcement program. During OIF I, the 504th Military Police Battalion conducted more than 4,000 combat patrols on nearly 300 miles of the MSR. The dedicated "Dragon Fighters" secured nearly 9,000 convoys and ensured the safe passage of more than 25,000 convoys moving troops and resources across the vital, but dangerous, MSR. Operations included more than 70 enemy contacts, and the battalion captured more than 200 insurgents and enemy prisoners and con¿scated more than 1,200 weapons. The 504th also apprehended hundreds of Iraqis who were caught damaging or destroying critical Iraqi infrastructure. In addition, the battalion developed and improved the Àedgling Iraqi highway patrol program and protected coalition forces by ensuring the safe detonation of countless improvised explosive devices. At the height of the operation, the 220th Military Police Brigade committed three full military police battalions to MSR, convoy, and area security missions in Iraq. In January 2004, the 16th Military Police Brigade arrived in Iraq and replaced the 220th and 800th Military Police Brigades, assuming security and detention operations missions for OIF II. In March 2004, the 95th Military Police Battalion replaced the 504th. Over time, with unique military police capabilities in high demand, other forces took over the MSR, convoy, and area security missions to free critical military police units to focus strictly on detention operations and Iraqi police training, advisory, and assistance efforts in follow-on OIF rotations. As the Military Police Corps Regiment focuses its attention on assessing and evaluating its core disciplines and competencies, the need for military police leaders and forces to be very Àexible and adaptive in operating along the full range of military operations within a joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment can be anticipated. The Army MILITARY POLICE . 19-13-1 is rapidly preparing brigade combat teams for decisive-action, combat training center rotations and regionally aligning forces to meet future requirements. The Military Police Corps must be ready to support and participate. As we look to the future, the story of the 504th Military Police Battalion may serve as one example for thought and discussion regarding how future military police units can potentially execute an array of capabilities through several operational phases—not only providing critical police and detention operations, but also supporting and securing the actual movement and maneuver of forces on the battle¿eld. Dedication: This article is dedicated to the brave men and women who served with the 504th Military Police Battalion Dragon Fighters in the early days of the historical OIF I conÀict. References: Gregory Fontenot et al., On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 2004. Thomas H. Tatum, personal journals, 18 March 2003– 21 March 2004. Thomas H. Tatum, "Recommendation for the Meritorious Unit Citation for the 504th MP Battalion, Operation Iraqi Freedom," CSC Scania, 8 March 2004. John Voorhees and Adria Toth, "The Long Road to Baghdad . . . The 504th Military Police Battalion Secures the Iraqi Freedom," CSC Scania, 8 March 2004. Colonel Tatum is the Provost Marshal, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He formerly served as the commander of The 504th Military Police Battalion. He holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and master's degrees in leader development from the U.S. Military Academy–West Point, New York, and in strategic studies from the Air War College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. 11

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Military Police - Spring 2013