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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MILITARY POLICE 32 more over African governments than do Western- ers with their expectations of representative democracy and rule of law. Limited operational reach across the air, sea, cyber, and land domains of AFRICOM's 53-country area of responsibility, coupled with the ferce competition for inter- departmental Department of Defense resources, poses sig- nifcant challenges to U.S. government diplomatic, informa- By virtue of assignment to joint billets, military police leaders procure seats at the executive and corporate levels of leadership when it comes to strategic- and operational- level planning. Military police leaders who serve within the CCMD framework (including nonjoint military police lead- ers who operate at the assigned subordinate Army service component command) joint planning matters that directly impact the Army operating concept and the military police STRATPLAN. Military police leaders integrate and operationalize complementary aspects of the military police STRATPLAN with CCMD theater campaign plans, perform- ing a critical capability for the protection warfghting func- tion. Military police leaders synchronize protection function end states, objectives, effects, and CCMD theater campaign plans by executing security force assistance planning; em- ploying military police capabilities in exercises and engage- ments; and participating in decisive-action operational ac- tivities by improving force protection posture, presence, and agreements with African countries. In addition to campaign planning, military police lead- ers participate in joint and operational planning teams. Through the application of operational art, operational de- sign, and the joint operation planning process, military po- lice offcers ence contingency and crisis action planning and current and future operations by providing expertise on the protection warfghting function. Within the joint opera- tion planning process and adaptive planning and execution framework, military police planners review the full scope of operational plans, write orders, and capture protection- related tasks that often include policing, detention, and in- vestigation. Overall, military police leaders ensure that the joint force commander has a tailored mix of protection capa- bilities that are synchronized in time and space and contrib- ute to effective mission command. 11 By intelligently linking the Military Police Regiment mission, core competencies, and military police disciplines to CCMD theater campaign plans and operations, military police leaders leverage the Army operating concept and military police STRATPLAN to achieve the Military Police Regiment vision, goals, and objectives. During fscal year 2015, the AFRICOM joint protection team moved the Military Police Regiment forward through a deliberate focus on military police STRATPLAN objectives 2.4, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 5.3, and 5.5. 12 In one of the more extensive operations that AFRICOM has conducted since its inception as a geographic CCMD, the J-34 (Protection) Division led the CCMD protection operational planning team during Op- eration United Assistance. Throughout this experience, the J-34 team conducted threat working groups and crisis action planning strategies that resulted in recommendations to the combatant commander for protection priorities and the employment of the joint force for force protection, law en- forcement, and customs purposes. In addition to Operation United Assistance, the joint protection team coordinated military-to-military engagements and initiated planning for the fscal year 2015–2017 employment of allocated military police regionally aligned forces in the AFRICOM African Lion and Southern Accord Exercise series. Furthermore, the joint protection team executed program management for antiterrorism and force protection for 53 African nations, generated a multitude of travel restrictions, and assessed the annual area of responsibility force protection baseline for AFRICOM. Finally, the joint protection team coordi- nated the movement and repatriation of detained personnel, staffed service component command requests for high-risk personnel protection, and implemented identity activity pro- gram management. Joint assignments and experiences provide military po- lice leaders with opportunities to obtain joint qualifcation. 13 Joint qualifcation can lead to added assignment options and increased promotion potential. Military police lead- ers who are competitive for promotion and demonstrate a most-qualifed potential are likely candidates for joint duty assignments. The U.S. Army Human Resources Command develops joint-qualifed offcers via offcer assignments to standard joint duty assignment billets. Standard joint duty assignments, which are limited and closely managed, are captured on the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff's joint duty assignment listing. The Military Police Corps current- ly has 15 standard joint duty assignment positions, nine of which are major and lieutenant colonel billets that are man- aged by the Military Police Branch; the other six military police positions are for colonels and are overseen by the Se- nior Leader Division at the Human Resources Command. Offcers who obtain a Level III joint qualifcation during a standard joint duty assignment normally complete a man- datory 36-month tour and must complete Joint Professional Military Education–Level II. Military Police Regiment lead- ership acknowledges the rigor that is required for the com- pletion of these assignments, but views joint assignments as rewarding opportunities that are designed to acculturate future military police leaders to other Service cultures. To illuminate the value of a joint assignment, compare two fully branch-qualifed battalion commanders, one of whom is joint-qualifed and the other of whom is not. The joint-qualifed offcer may compete for the full range of se- nior Service college fellowships; however, the nonjoint- qualifed offcer is likely unable to compete for fellowships because many of these opportunities are governed by Joint Professional Military Education–Level II prerequisites or career progression timelines. In summary, joint assignments matter! Joint assign- ments beneft our profession and the military police STRATPLAN and develop adaptive military police lead- ers for the force of the future. Earned through the cru- cible of joint assignment, joint experiences expose military

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