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/655275
63 Spring 2016 forces. Overall, the execution of the static display was with- out issue and the people of Lithuania were able to meet the Soldiers and take pictures with the vehicles." First Lieu- tenant Bush and his Soldiers went on to meet the mayor of Bialystok, Poland, and visit Auschwitz on one of their low-battle-rhythm days. The road march was more than just the practical move- ment of equipment from the training area to home station. It was also a show of solidarity with countries that live within Russia's sphere of First Lieutenant Hack- bert said, "One elderly gentleman showed the Soldiers a book of pictures his family had taken when General Patton's Army came through his town when he was only 3 years old. Another woman hugged a Soldier and cried about how happy she was that the American Soldiers were back in the Czech Republic. Military police Soldiers received handmade gifts, notes, drawings, and more from people in the crowd. One young man asked a [military police Soldier] how it felt to be a hero. The whole affair was amazing and exhilarating." On 1 April 2015, the 3/2CR and its embedded military police vehicles paraded with great fanfare down the main street of the Vilseck military installation to crowds of Ser- vice members, Families, and German nationals. During the welcome home ceremony that followed the parade, the 709th Soldiers who participated in the operation received Silver Spurs (a coveted cavalry tradition marking the long jour- ney); but more importantly, they received recognition that military police are a vital component to the success of the operation. The battalion has since supported similar opera- tions in Romania and a 3,100 kilometer operation with the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team from Vicenza, Italy, to Estonia. Overall, the mission was a success. But this experience was not without some major lessons learned. Aggressively insert yourself into relevant operations. If it hadn't have been for the brigade commander recognizing the signifcance of Operation Dragoon Ride, the 709th Military Police Bat- talion would have never received an invitation or order to participate. Staff synchronization between numerous headquarters was challenging due to the compressed timeline. The Opera- tion Dragoon Ride routes weren't approved until right before the operation, and RON and static display sites remained moving targets during the operation. The entire staff rallied at frequent intervals to ensure that everyone had the same operational picture and that all required tasks were being addressed. The staff continued to identify and resource solu- tions until the day of execution. Don't get trapped by modifed tables of organization and equipment. NTVs and iridium satellite telephones are not included on military police modifed tables of organization and equipment, but both were critical to mission accomplish- ment. The NTVs provided less of a signature for the squad moving ahead of the troop so that the squad could observe nefarious indicators. This also decreased the chance that the screening action would alert an enemy of troop movement. The iridium satellite telephones served as part of a robust communication primary, alternate, contingency, and emer- gency (PACE) plan established by the battalion communica- tions offcer. In the course of preparing for this operation, it was clear that the lack of training and familiarization with commu- nications equipment (primarily Joint Capabilities Releases) meant that faults were missed. Some equipment that had been presumed to be fully mission-capable had failing faults. The battalion has worked tirelessly to improve this training defciency since Operation Dragoon Ride. Another skill that atrophies when units are not frequent- ly deployed is the ability to perform movement-required ac- tions. Fortunately, the battalion had just published a com- mand deployment discipline standard operating procedure, which contained a checklist of actions, and helped delineate movement responsibilities between headquarters. But it didn't make it any easier to properly request line haul, coor- dinate dip clearances, or chase down a Hazmat 15-qualifed Soldier who could validate the vehicle fuel load. 1 Operation Dragoon Ride created a renewed battalion emphasis on self- reliance so that there are no limits to moving Soldiers or equipment effectively and effciently. Not only were the 709th Soldiers able to participate in the longest tactical road march the U.S. Army has made across Europe since General George S. Patton diverted his Third Army to relieve Bastogne, Belgium, in 1944, but their participation in the operation was also a welcome change of pace to the extremely high level of law enforcement commit- ment in Europe. 2 The Soldiers returned from this operation confdent in their skill, motivated by their mission, and pos- sessing a rejuvenated sense of purpose. Endnotes: 1 Hazmat 15 is a certifcation that allows Soldiers to transport ammunition. 2 Rick Lyman, "An American Military Convoy in Europe Aims to Reassure Allies," The New 29 March 2015. Major Danaraj is the executive offcer of the 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, Grafenwoehr, She holds a bachelor's degree of Southern California, Los Angeles, - gree in business and organizational security Webster University; degree in First Lieutenant Hackbert is currently attending the Military Police Captain's Career Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. She holds a bachelor's degree in justice and a degree - sity, Chicago. First Lieutenant Miller is a platoon leader with the 615th Mili- tary Police 709th Military Police Battalion, Grafen- woehr, She holds a bachelor's degree in English Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.