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 62 Understanding that three troops of the squadron would converge in Prague—a heavily traffcked thoroughfare and one from which 3/2CR deployed a liaison offcer too late in the planning process—the 709th offered to deploy a com- pany tactical action center to Prague to facilitate the traffc control plan and protect the rest overnight (RON) sites. To begin to socialize the plan, the battalion commander and the S-3 went to the embassy in Prague to meet with the Czech Republic Royal Police. Throughout the operation, the em- bassies were the perfect entry points from which to identify the appropriate host nation security offcials for coordina- tion. The embassy personnel understood the force structure and the personalities and advised about how to frame the discussion so that it would be mutually benefcial. Addition- ally, an introduction by known embassy personnel brought the battalion commander immediate validation, so that the conversation could quickly transition to operational plan- ning. The battalion commander's engagement with Briga- dier General Milan Schulc, chief of the Czech Republic Royal Police, provided valuable insight into the Czech views of the operation and a major concern of the Czechs (for example, commencement of the operation during the construction season, which would restrict movement). At the conclusion of the meeting, an agreement regarding a combined recon- naissance of the RON and traffc control point locations to ensure security and traffc was reached. That conversa- tion paved the way for the commander of the 615th Military Police Company to liaise with the action offcers of the Royal Police. Multiple reconnaissance operations were conducted with the Royal Police counterparts to ensure that Prague was ready to receive the squadron of Strykers and support vehicles that would soon be arriving at their location. At the unit level, there was signifcant ongoing prepa- ration. Units adjusted training plans to focus on convoy security tasks and Joint Capabilities Release communica- tions. Soldiers participated in multiple classes on Joint Ca- pabilities Release functionality and on troubleshooting the system. Unit preparation also included mission briefngs, public affairs briefngs, communication exercises internal to the battalion and with 3/2CR, and vehicle load-outs and inspections. Some of the units validated these preparatory actions with a deployment readiness exercise. This no-notice recall challenged units to quickly gain accountability, scrub for Soldier readiness processing defciencies, draw weapons, load out, and conduct a mission brief. Soon after the deploy- ment readiness exercises, the M1151s were line-hauled to the three start points for the road march in Estonia, Lithua- nia, and Poland. The culminating preparatory event was the deployment of the lieutenants to participate in the 3/2CR ROC drill. At this event, leaders began to solidify their repu- tation as a competent and responsive force and to confrm for troop counterparts their understanding of the mission and specifed tasks. On 10 March 2015, the battalion started deploying squads to their start points so that they could be on site no less than 3 days ahead of the troop-initiating movement. Squads in nontactical vehicles (NTVs) convoyed to their start points, one squad was to Estonia, and the remaining two squads were bused to Lithuania and Poland. The squadron maneuvered at staggered intervals on three routes during this operation. Iron Troop road marched along Route Mandi from Estonia through Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland be- fore consolidating with the squadron in Prague. Lightning Troop road marched along Route Melissa, from Lithuania through Poland, before Prague consolidation. Killer Troop maneuvered along Route Mindy in the march from Poland to Prague. The military police concept of support was fairly simple. Each troop was provided two squads—one in NTVs and one in tactical vehicles. The NTV squad departed 3 to 4 hours ahead of the troop-initiating movement. It used a low-profle vehicle to identify any potential obstructions to the route, link up with the host nation security forces to confrm the security plan while in-transit and at the static display lo- cations, and fnalize the traffc control plan to determine where the troop would RON. The tactical squad remained integrated within the troop's different movement serials (or iterations), prepared to move forward should it need to respond to a contingency event. Not all of the tasks were tactical; when the 527th Military Police Company Soldiers arrived at the Polish 85th Air Defense Artillery barracks in Skwierrzyna, Poland, they coordinated the barracks location and plan and the chow payment and execution, executed combined security patrols with the local security forces, and established a parking plan for 179 Soldiers and 47 vehicles of Killer Troop. The of the leaders and Soldiers who participated in Operation Dragoon Ride was invaluable in endearing them to the unit they supported, accomplishing the mission, and posturing the troops for fun events. First Lieutenant Leigh Hackbert of the 529th Military Police Company, explained that "The Polish 85th Air Defense Ar- tillery commander and his Soldiers greeted us with enthu- siasm, opening up their unit museum to give the troop com- mander and myself private tours before allowing Soldiers to explore the history of the unit." First Lieutenant Hannah Miller, 615th Military Police Company, explained that "As the frst element to wake up and the frst to arrive at all of the day's sites, members of 3d Platoon, 615th Military Police Company, often forged the frst impression that local nationals would have of the entire convoy and provided a crucial conduit for further communi- cation. Additionally, 3d Platoon, 615th Military Police Com- pany, developed the traffc control plan and the refuel plan for each of the 10 RON locations, saving the troop countless hours and the hassle inherent in trying to ft over 40 pieces of rolling stock in small, unmaneuverable areas." First Lieutenant Michael Bush, also of the 529th Military Police Company added, "On 22 March 2015, we began our movement along Route Melissa in Lithuania. Our mission was to push ahead and gain eyes on the location of the static display. The Ozas Mall in Vilnius, Lithuania, was our objec- tive and the frst display for the troops. Once on-site, we met with the local police to assist in traffc control, parking, and provide communications liaison between the participating

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