Military Police

SPRING 2016

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

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19 By Lieutenant Colonel Aaron M. Poulin A small, heavily armed adversary force is hidden along a ridgeline overlooking a secluded dirt road. Its . target, an Air Force convoy, approaches from the east. The signal is given, and the adversary initiates an at- tack with multiple improvised explosive devices disabling the primary target. Rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine-gun fre, and smoke fll the air as the adversary rushes the Air Force convoy. This could be the start of many after action reports from combat action encountered in the mountains of Afghani- stan or the desert of Iraq, but it's not. This describes Joint Exercise Sentinel Warrior, conducted at Camp Guernsey, Wyoming, from May to June 2015. The exercise, which was hosted by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) on behalf of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, in- volved more than 250 personnel from all Army components (Regular Army, Army National Guard, and U.S. Army Re- serve) and other Services. DTRA is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and is the agency responsible for conducting the joint force- on-force exercise to test policy in terms of manning, equipping, train- ing, and tactics for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. The DTRA Force-on- Force Branch plans and coordinates these exercises over a 12-month period to enhance the ability of the military to perform against a real threat. For this exercise, Air Force security forces from the 90th Missile Wing, 20th Air Force, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, were the blue force (friendly force). The 90th Missile Wing conducted its standard mission set of convoy operations under extreme hostility by an adver- sary force represented by U.S. Special Operations Com- mand (SOCOM) planners and augments from the 91st Mili- tary Police Battalion, 511th Military Police Company, Fort Drum, New York. Military police forces were specifcally re- quested from the joint staff due to their knowledge and skill set. The 1st Platoon met and surpassed every expectation set for it, and it received several exceptional compliments from the SOCOM team on its motivation, resourcefulness, and unmatched determination. SOCOM special operators carefully planned and coordinated various at- tack scenarios that challenged the blue force ability to maintain positive control of the convoy. The experience of the special operators was key to successful daily operations. How- ever, the tactical foundation each 91st Military Police Battalion Sol- dier brought to the fght was ab- solutely invaluable. When asked what expectations he had com- ing into this exercise, one of the participants stated: "I expected it to be physically demanding, but fun; and it was!" Each iteration effectively prepared the blue force for a variety of worst-case sce- narios that could occur with little to no notice. The exercise planners did their best to ensure that every aspect of the exercise was as realistic as Spring 2016

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