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/383260
A
s you know from the Military Police Regimental Strategy (Box Top) and the Military
Police Force Strategy 2020, the military police mission is to "provide professional
policing, investigations, corrections, and security and mobility support across the
full range of military operations in order to enable protection and promote the rule of
law."
1, 2
If we are effectively executing
our mission, then our customers,
other law enforcement agencies, and
credentialing and certifying agencies
will recognize the Military Police
Corps as a professional organization.
Our customers—senior mission
commanders at camps, posts, and
stations at home and abroad—are
most important. In order to help
senior mission commanders preserve the force, we must provide professional personnel
to assist, protect, and defend the Soldiers, Family members, and civilians who work and
reside on installations around the world.
We do an excellent job of policing installations, investigating crime on installations, and conducting detention and
corrections operations. But with all of the turmoil related to being an Army at war and in transition and all of the struggles
with very diffcult issues and decisions, senior mission commanders need us to rise to the next level. It is not good enough
to be compartmentalized in corrections, combat support, provost marshal operations, or investigations. We must improve
our game by becoming aware of the tools available to military police and by being able to advise senior mission commanders
on the capabilities available to them across the Career Management Field 31 series. Military police leaders are expected to
know the missions and capabilities of military police organizations. Until we are able to converse across the military police
portfolio, senior mission commanders won't view us as competent and, therefore, can't see us as professionals.
The good news is that, as an organization, we recognize this and are proactively working through the issue. Young
military police leaders are being informed that the path to success leads through assignments in corrections, investigations,
and combat support organizations. They are being told that the one-trick pony will not become a future leader of the
Military Police Corps. Organizations such as the 504th Military Police Battalion of the 42d Military Police Brigade and the
22d Military Police Battalion (CID) of the 6th Military Police Group (CID)—both assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord,
Washington—have heard the message loud and clear. They have initiated joint leader professional development training
to become more aware of each other's capabilities. I applaud their efforts at breaking down the walls that exist between
combat support and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, commonly known as CID, units and tackling installation
law enforcement as an integrated team. With efforts such as these (providing integrated law enforcement solutions to
commanders), our customers, other law enforcement agencies, and credentialing and certifying agencies will recognize
the components of a professional organization. I am certain that these same efforts are underway at other locations. My
hope is that they will become a routine occurrence at posts, camps, and stations around the world. We must continue to
put self-interest and self-preservation aside and do what is best for the joint force, the Army, and the Military Police Corps
Regiment.
Endnotes:
1
Mark S. Inch, "Forging Military Police From 2013 to 2020," Military Police, Spring 2013, pp. 2–3,