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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25 Spring 2016 By Lieutenant Colonel Jon P. Myers, Major Chris B. Treuting, and First Lieutenant Joshua J. Larson T he reduction of two military police combat support companies at Fort Polk, Louisiana, coupled with ever-increasing installation policing, access control, and general tasking requirements, drove the development of a high-intensity, short-duration green cycle training frame- work that increased focus on key collective tasks and the reinforcement of team and individual tasks for shoot, move, communicate, and feld craft, which enabled continued po- lice operations and support to the installation. Additionally, the growth of technical and tactical leadership abilities at the team, squad, and platoon leadership levels is a beneft of employing the 21-day training regimen. Finally, keeping training cycles in line with a 14-, 21-, or 28-day training pat- tern helps build readiness that directly translates to a "pre- pare to deploy" order and helps units focus valuable training time on the appropriate areas. After the change of command of the 519th Military Po- lice Battalion in October 2013, the battalion began Army structure reductions of two combat support military po- lice companies (the 209th Military Police Company and the 272d Military Police Company) throughout fscal year (FY) 2014. Aside from immediate requirements to gain se- nior commander approval of tenant units supplementing access control points in late FY 14, the battalion did an in- depth validation of all policing requirements (such as two mandatory military police patrols, which were reduced to one military police patrol) to free up as much manpower as possible. Finally, the battalion continued to support the U.S. Central Command with up to 78 military police Sol- diers deployed throughout FY 14 and FY 15. All told, the need to meet the U.S. Army Forces Command unifed land operations training requirement led to the establishment of an 18-day green cycle (later changed to a 21-day cycle) that companies executed at a platoon or platoon (-) (equivalent to two military police squads) level, beginning in the last quarter of FY 14. An 18-day green cycle was chosen so that each one of the six military police line platoons would have a chance to train at least twice annually. Otherwise, the conventional, 6-week green cycle would limit most platoons to training once a year. Although shorter, the 18-day training cycled through multiple iterations, building tactical and techni- cal competence in platoon leadership beginning with key leader, individual, team, and collective tasks associated with deployment and redeployment. The training included quartering-party operations; feld site operations; platoon defense (of a patrol base); and all baseline shoot, move, and communicate team level tasks that are involved in all key collective task training. After the third iteration of an 18- day green cycle, each team, squad, and platoon is capable of focusing on the specifc key collective tasks assigned for that green cycle. Basic tasks are already suffciently mastered and do not detract from the overall training effect. After the initial positive feedback, the battalion expand- ed the training to include the 41st Medium Transportation Company, which is assigned to the battalion for training, readiness, and assessment. The frst green cycle iteration for the 41st Medium Transportation Company began in May 2015. Above all else, the lessons the 519th Military Police Battalion revealed during the design and implementation of short-duration, high-intensity training cycles serve as a great example for other battalions that experience a reduc- tion in force or an increase in requirements, negating com- pany size green cycles. Following the frst full year of employing the 18-day green cycle format, the battalion lengthened the cycle to 21 days to— • Provide more military police surge capacity to the depart- ment of emergency services for driving under the - ence, force protection, community-oriented policing ini- tiatives, and other short-duration efforts. • Allow more transition time between red cycle road as- sumptions for the green cycle platoon. As proven during the 3d quarter of FY 15, the concept of squad- and platoon-mounted fre and maneuver combined arms live-fre exercises (CALFEXs) in the green cycle works. The concept drives home the importance of shoot, move, and communicate baseline task profciency and equipment maintenance and employment profciency for our military police Soldiers, squads, and teams.

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