Realistic Training Prepares Soldiers for the Battlefield

Photo By Cynthia McIntyre | Military police in the Advanced Leaders Course at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif.'s Tactical Training Center (80th Training Command) engage opposition forces in a field training exercise, Jan. 28, 2018. The 4-week class enhances leadership skills for E5 and E6 Soldiers in the 31B military police occupational specialty, to include active duty, Reserve, and National Guard. Scenarios include responding to ambush and direct/indirect fire, route reconnaisance, setting up traffic control points, finding high-value targets, and responding to unexpected events that require chain-of-command succession.  

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, UNITED STATES

01.28.2018

Story by Cynthia McIntyre 

Fort Hunter Liggett Public Affairs Office

For four weeks, 62
military police students
received classroom and
hands-on training, culminating
in a field training
exercise at the end January
2018. Various mock urban
villages at FHL provide a
variety of setups and terrain
for exercises.
California State Military
Reserves (CSMR) pretended
to be villagers, opposition
forces, or a military unit
engaged in a civil war with
another in-country faction.
In one exercise, CSMR
Capt. John Irwin was a
high-value target the MPs
were ordered to capture
in a heavily defended
bomb-making factory.
The students were divided
into groups and assigned
different tasks, such as seting
up security or capturing
enemies.
The Training Center uses
Hollywood-style re-enactor
weapons, smoke grenades,
booby traps and loud fragmentation
grenades to
simulated a realistic evnrionement
for students.
In another scenario, the
MPs conducted a presence
patrol in a village where
they had not been seen before.
A sniper on a hillside
shot at the villagers, and in
the confusion it wasn’t sure
who was shooting at whom.
In a country with various
warring factions, Soldiers
may not always know if
they are among friend or
foe, or if gunfire is directed
at them, and must assess
the situation before reacting.
“We can allow students
to make mistakes and learn
here instead of the hard
way overseas,” said Irwin.

• Date Taken: 01.28.2018
• Date Posted: 07.06.2018 18:16
• Story ID: 283489
• Location: FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, US