Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Cathrine Yanez | NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (June 8, 2016) – Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)...... read more read more
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“They are our first line of defense against terrorists and other people who wish to do us harm,” said Sonar Technician (Surface) 1st class Gary Newsom, an anti-terrorism training supervisor (AT-TRASUP) onboard Ford. “We have to train these sailors to protect the ship. They also serve the purpose of a police force onboard maintaining good order and discipline.”
Sailors who go through ISF academy and receive certification are selected from various departments through a nomination process. After departments send in their nominations, personnel who meet the minimum requirements are selected for ISF academy and upon graduation will work alongside Master-at-Arms (MA) while the ship is in port.
“We have the manning required to meet underway watch requirements with the number of billeted MAs,” said Chief Master-at-Arms Andrew Sparks, ISF’s leading chief petty officer. “That is why we are only utilizing ISF as an in-port asset. When the ship is underway, the ISF Sailors will return to their parent department to perform their in-rate duties.”
Although Ford has MAs, Sparks said the reason we have the need for ISF is due to the number of post and security requirements the Ford has as a ship. Posts required in port are significantly larger than the requirement when underway.
“Primarily, they will make up a majority of our static posts such as entry control point, overwatch, seaward sentry, flight deck rover and brow watch,” said Sparks. “ISF is extremely important to you, me and everyone else onboard (the ship) as they comprise a large portion of our security requirements while in port. They meet the same training requirements as a rated MA to stand armed watches.”
Throughout the course of ISF training, Sailors learned baton striking skills and defensive techniques, hand-to-hand combat, received oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, practiced gun handling at a simulator and live-fire shooting range, and took part in an active shooter scenario during a tactical training exercise onboard Ford.
“There are a lot of different techniques and skills that they teach you in such a short amount of time, such as constant situational awareness and being able to really deal with your emotions under high-stress situations,” said Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Joseph Dillard, an ISF volunteer.
Dillard said he is always looking for new and exciting opportunities the Navy has to offer and decided to volunteer his time for ISF when the chance presented itself.
“(When) we go on watch, we’re armed, and we’re ready to go,” said Dillard. “If anything happens, we’re called in to handle the situation the way we were trained.”
Newsom said he received training to become an AT-TRASUP while at his last command as there was only one MA for the type of ship he was on. When the first MAs onboard Ford were looking for people train the first batch of ISF members, Newsom volunteered and has been helping ever since.
“I really enjoy teaching this class because it is not your typical Navy class where you sit in a classroom or lab all day,” Newsom said. “We get to go out to the field and teach self-defense, hand-to-hand fighting and non-lethal weapons, as well as teach firearms training. Yes, there are power points, but then we head out of the class and get to use everything we just read about.”
Security is an everyday top priority, which all Sailors regularly train in order to be prepared for any possible situation. Through ISF academy, Sailors are given a more in-depth type of training which makes them more confident to protect their ship and everyone in it.
“I feel good,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Apprentice Jeremy Manarang, another volunteer. “I feel like I can do anything to protect the ship and my fellow shipmates. It was a real awesome experience. I’ve learned a lot about force protection tactics and even more about teamwork and watching your team’s back at all times.”
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.14.2016 15:20 |
| Story ID: | 195419 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Ford’s First Line of Defense, by PO2 Cathrine Yanez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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