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/484012
47 MILITARY POLICE . 19-15-1 By First Lieutenant Julia N. O'Neil O n 15 January 2014, 1st Platoon, 615th Military Po- lice Company (1/615), Grafenwoehr, Germany, de- ployed to Kosovo (located in the Balkans region of southeast Europe and bordered by the Republic of Albania and the former Yu- goslavian Republics of Macedonia, Ser- bia, and Montenegro) in support of the 504th Battlefeld Surveillance Brigade. The platoon was tasked to maintain a safe and secure environment and free- dom of movement during the Kosovo Forces rotation (KFOR). Military police stationed in Kosovo operate a provost marshal's offce based at Camp Bond- steel, where they enforce law and order, conduct security operations, and provide antiterrorism/force protection support. Coordination began upon receipt of the mission in June 2013 and continued throughout all phases of the operation. The 2d platoon, 527th Military Police Company (2/527), 709th Military Police Battalion (which was serving in Kosovo at the time of initial coordination), pro- vided the 1/615 with Annex T—the training annex attached to the deployment order. The annex contained all mission training requirements, including annual Army Regulation (AR) 350-1, and Leader train- ing; more than 200 additional tasks; and on-the-job training with the local provost marshal's offce. The 1/615 conducted a 5-day predeployment site survey visit to Kosovo to meet with 709th Military Police Battalion personnel (a squad leader, the 2/527 platoon leader, the 527th frst sergeant and executive offcer, and the battalion operations offcer [S-3]); discuss the mission; and receive recommendations for pre- paring for foreseeable challenges. The information obtained helped set the conditions for the success of the 1/615 in Kosovo. Lesson 1: The units is essential Rehearsals began with the mission readiness exercise in Hohenfels, Germany, and ended upon arrival in Kosovo. The mission readiness exercise, which was led by subject matter experts, started with classroom instruction on law enforcement topics such as active-shooter response, police investigations, and police intelligence operations. The classroom instruction was followed by an actual 24/7 exer- cise portion that tested all sections of the provost marshal's offce, ensuring that military police knew how to react to sample incidents similar to those expected to be encountered in Kosovo, complete the paperwork, and report the incidents. Participants received expert feedback on law enforcement op- erations and reporting procedures. The mission readiness exercise provided the 1/615 with an opportunity to work with the 504th Battlefeld Surveillance Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, before sup- porting operations in Kosovo. The mis- sion readiness exercise was validated when all exercises were successfully conducted in Kosovo as full-scale force protection exercises, military police exercises, or real-world incidents. Lesson 2: in the fnal the mission. Upon its arrival in Kosovo, the 1/615 spent 8 days in transition with the 2/527. During that time, the military police familiarized themselves with the area; completed a property book inventory; provided all customs sup- port, including the inspection of 100 percent of the per- sonnel and equipment leaving the country; planned for a transfer-of-authority ceremony for Multinational Bat- tle Group–East (MNBG-E); and conducted a full-scale force protection exercise. The force protection exercise involved the participation of more than 10 Camp Bond- steel tenant units, which responded to two simultane- ous incidents—a violent protest at the access control