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LINCOLN, Neb. - The front line moves seamlessly to the sound of batons striking shields in battle rhythm, shouting “Get back,” as uniformed National Guardsmen cross a field, peppered with aggressors tirelessly trying to breach the line.
Suddenly, as a pair of aggressors stray too close to the line, while trying to coax their fellow demonstrators to become more aggressive, the Guard line suddenly parts as extraction teams break through the front line to snatch the instigators, pull them through the line and apprehend them. The teams wrestle the rioters to the ground using pressure points and handcuff them, turning them over to local law enforcement agencies to make the arrest.
This was just one of the many scenes that occurred as humidity, sweat, dust and mosquitoes mixed to challenge 100 Nebraska Air National Guardsmen as they suited up in body armor to fend off mock protestors during a training exercise at the 155th Air Refueling Wing, June 4-6, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Airmen volunteered from duty sections across the air base to become a part of the Tier One Nebraska National Guard Reaction Force, a team of 100 Airmen and 400 Soldiers from units located across Nebraska that is trained and prepared to respond to civil unrest within 24 hours of the governor’s call.
According to unit officials, National Guard Bureau requires annual re-certification for Airmen and Soldiers assigned to state NGRFs. The training involves two to three days of hands-on education. To facilitate the Air Guard’s training, the Nebraska Army Guard’s 402nd Military Police Battalion sent 10 Soldiers to the air base to train new Airmen and re-certify veterans of the voluntary force on individual tasks to assist in a civil disturbance. This included training on riot batons and shields, use of force, less lethal ammunitions using pepper ball guns, apprehending and detaining instigators, and moving as a group in a riot formation.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Connelly, noncommissioned officer in charge of training of the 2015 NGRF Airmen, said, the training serves a very important purpose: Readiness. “When civil authorities are in a time of need, or they feel that they cannot handle the situation, such as a riot … they will put in a call through Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, which in turn contacts the governor to get permission to deploy National Guard troops.”
“Once the National Guard troops are called out, they have eight hours to respond to their armories, and 24 hours to be on scene to support whatever law enforcement agency is requesting their assistance,” Connelly added.
Connelly said there are three different tiers of reaction forces: tier 1 is a 500-person team, Tier 2 is a 300-person team, and Tier 3 is a 100-person man team. Nebraska is a Tier 1 state, which means that it can be deployed as an entire unit across the region.
Connelly said recent national events have shown how the National guard can expect to be utilized when civil demonstrations turn violent.
“There was a time where we were training and amongst the instructors, we would talk about how we can train until we are blue in the face, but we will never see this,” said Connelly. “Well, currently with the situations going on nation-wide, it’s becoming more and more of a reality for us.... When the National Guard does come in, it sends the public or the criminals rioting out on the streets a huge message that we are not going to mess around with them and there is not going to be civil unrest in the streets.”
The entire riot force is armed with eye protection, helmets, body armor, shin guards and face masks. The front line is equipped with batons and shields in addition to the items listed, and throughout the line, there are men and women armed with less-lethal munitions (pepper ball guns).
According to Connelly, the pepper ball guns are like paintball guns, but fire at a higher velocity. He then described how a pepper ball is used.
“The pepper ball itself is not malleable like a paint ball, it’s actually hard and it breaks. Once it breaks it disburses Capsaicin II (chili-pepper) powder. It gets in their eyes and mouths and it helps drive them back and disperse the area.”
Senior Airman Devin Davila, 155th Fuel Systems distribution worker, has volunteered to be on the NGRF squad for two years. He said his favorite part of being a member of the NGRF is bonding with people from the unit.
“Everyone is working hard, sweating, miserable, it’s a good time,” said Davila. “You all embrace it together and it brings you together.”
Being a part of the extraction team, Davila explained his view of riot training.
“We are simulating riots and learning how to handle them in a professional manner,” said Davila. “Once we are called in, we try to tame everything down and make it manageable. We have some extraction teams who go in front of the lines to try to apprehend the individuals that are causing a threat.”
Connelly explained how the front line works in combination with extraction teams to apprehend rioters and looters and turn them over to the local law enforcement.
“As we are moving up on a riot and we have actively aggressive rioters that are pushing on the shields … our team leaders and commanders designate those people as people to be brought back behind the line to be arrested by local law enforcement,” said Connelly. “Those extraction teams will push out in front of the line, within typically one arm’s length away from the shields, they will try to snatch that person up and bring them back behind the line.”
“What they do behind the line: they will get (the aggressor) down and put into handcuffs. We detain them, we do not arrest them.”
Connelly said the reaction force will then turn them over to law enforcement who will make the actual arrest, unless martial law has been put in affect.
In recent national events, the National Guard was called in to assist with local law enforcement to sustain peace and protect both people and property.
“There are only so many cops in Lincoln and only so many people who can do this job, so in the event that they do become overwhelmed,” said Davila. “It helps to have more numbers to help. The Army and Air National Guard come together for this to help reach numbers.”
Connelly said, “I feel like this is a very important mission for the National Guard. It gives our law abiding citizens (security to know) that we are there to support them. We are actively training in order to protect them if we need to or if we are called out.”
| Date Taken: | 06.05.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2015 16:21 |
| Story ID: | 170002 |
| Location: | LINCOLN, NE, US |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 100 Airmen train as National Guard Reaction Force, by SSgt Mary Thach, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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