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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6 MILITARY POLICE N ot every young offcer has the opportunity to work with senior leaders at the Mission Command Train- ing Program (MCTP) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Fortunately, as a frst lieutenant on brigade staff, I became intimately familiar with mission command and the op- erations process. The brigade staff worked closely with the MCTP to develop an MCTP culminating exercise for the bri- gade. As a company commander 18 months later, I had the op- portunity to use the principles learned during the MCTP while exercising mission command at a training event in- volving multiple units. Operation Air Max began as a small- scale training exercise to prepare unit military working dog (MWD) teams for deployment, but grew into a large-scale event that involved three units from two different battal- ions, each with unique training objectives to improve overall readiness. In the planning phase, my focus as the commander was on the frst three principles of mission command: • Build cohesive teams through mutual trust. • Create a shared understanding. • Provide a clear statement of the commander's intent. Build Cohesive Teams The frst challenge was to build trust within the organi- zation. As a new commander with a big vision, I had to get my Soldiers to buy into that vision. I was presented with an opportunity to train with the resident assault helicopter bat- talion (AHB), and I knew that getting the MWD teams fa- miliar with aircraft was a top priority. In an effort to design the best training possible, I enlisted the help of the MWD handlers. Through impromptu conversations, I learned that the Soldiers wanted to train with other military police units and with units outside the Military Police Corps and that they wanted to add variety to the strict training regi- men. Additionally, the MWD handlers who had recently re- turned from deployment provided many ideas for training scenarios—all contemporary, relevant, and outside of their current training scenarios. Loaded with new ideas and an opportunity to train with a unit possessing a unique skill set, a plan was drafted. After input was again requested from the Soldiers, the Soldiers bought into the plan and a cohesive team was built on mutual trust. The second challenge was to develop another cohesive team through mutual trust with our unifed action partner, the AHB—a military partner ex- ternal to the battalion. Helping to facilitate relationship build- ing was a cost that was gladly incurred in exchange for the training opportunity provided by the AHB commander. The offcer professional development event focused on MWDs and their capa- bilities. In order to gain mutual trust, it was important to execute the offcer professional develop- ment well—not just by providing the standard capabilities brief, but by providing a capabilities brief tailored toward the audi- ence. We maintained interest, displayed professionalism, and conveyed our respect for the avia- tion Soldiers and their craft by

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