Spruance Completes BTL Course At Sea

INDIAN OCEAN

03.06.2019

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan McLearnon 

Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG 3)

The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance completed a between the lifelines (BTL) security reaction force qualification training while underway in the Indian Ocean, March 6.

BTL provides Sailors with the basic knowledge of how to respond to shipboard security threats while underway and in foreign ports.

“The course allows us to teach the basic security reactions and responses to different types of security threats and situations,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Derek Bosecker, from Cape Coral, Florida. “It allows Sailors who have checked onboard, without receiving any prior security force training, to learn about the basics of protecting the ship while underway and in foreign ports.”

Conducting internal shipboard security force training is common in the Navy. Conducting the training in the middle of a deployment, however, was new for Bosecker.

Although training underway was different, it allowed Bosecker to provide the Sailors with unique situations that they would not have experienced if the ship was in its homeport of San Diego.

“On a day-to-day basis in port, there is only so much experience I can give them,” he said. “While we are deployed, we can provide them with the experience of reacting to threats in foreign ports, and we can conduct more shipboard movements while we are underway.”

Fire Controlman 3rd Class Kristian Hallegado, from Las Vegas, said he learned a lot from the course.

“During the course we learned about strikes, blocks, mechanical advantage control holds, vehicle inspections, personnel inspections, how to stack up, shipboard movements, clearing rooms and the use of force,” said Hallegado. “I learned a lot of the basics in the BTL course.”

The last evolution of the training consisted of Sailors being sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray and then performing strikes, blocks and mechanical advantage hold (MACH) take downs.

U.S. Navy Sonar Technician (Surface) Seaman Kennison Cochran, from San Jose, California, a participant in the course, noted that OC spray should be taken seriously.

“It’s an experience and while I wouldn’t suggest [OC spray] for the faint of heart, anybody who really believes that they have experienced everything or wants to, should try it at least once,” he added. “Just to know it can get worse and you will survive, I really took both of those lessons to heart from the course.”

Spruance is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

• Date Taken: 03.06.2019
• Date Posted: 03.15.2019 05:15
• Story ID: 314310
• Location: INDIAN OCEAN