258th MP Co sharpens civil disturbance response skills

Photo By Chuck Cannon | Protesters, played by HHD, 519th MP Bn Soldiers clash with riot control Soldiers assigned to the 258th MP Co. during civil disturbance training in the village of Sangari Sept. 20, 2019.  

FORT POLK, LA, UNITED STATES

09.27.2019

Story by TC Bradford 

Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

By T.C. BRADFORD
Guardian staff writer

FORT POLK, La. — The sun rose over the village of Sangari Sept. 20. The weather was forecast to be sunny and beautiful. However, this day, dark clouds were building on the horizon. Not physical clouds carrying rain and lightning, but the ephemeral clouds of discontent.
Sangari, one of the myriad training villages at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, is a poor village that has been caught in the middle of a war that it did not ask to be involved with and, for the most part, has no stake in the outcome. Unfortunately, the village lies along a strategic route for those forces fighting that unwanted war.
Americans needed the roads to move Soldiers and equipment to the battlefield and the Taliban, al-Qaida — or whoever was opposing the Americans this week — set ambushes using roadside bombs, martyrs, rocket propelled grenades and anything else at their disposal to stop or slow their enemy.
Roads and buildings were damaged and needed to be rebuilt. Rebuilding costs were extremely high, especially after the last fighting season and as much as he didn’t want to, the mayor had to levy new taxes on an already overtaxed population. For some, it was a bridge too far and by mid-morning, angry citizens began forming in front of the mayor’s residence. Most came with nothing but the need to let off some steam and were peacefully demonstrating. Chants of “NO MORE TAXES!” split the air and a few rocks were thrown at the mayor’s house, but there was no sense of danger.
As the morning progressed, word of the protest got around and more people showed up to voice their displeasure. Security staff noticed that some of these new individuals were not dressed the same as the citizens that arrived earlier. They looked rougher and some were openly carrying rifles. They hung around the fringes of the demonstration, egging on the protesters. The mood seemed to be getting darker.
It was decided that the demonstration had gone on long enough and needed to be dispersed. Security staff went out to try and calm the crowd but were unsuccessful; their efforts fueled the anger in the crowd and now there were bottles being thrown in addition to the rocks and insults.
The mayor put in a call to the American military asking for assistance. Luckily, the 258th Military Police Company, 519th Military Police Battalion, was in the area and sent a rapid response force to deal with the situation. The Soldiers put on their riot gear, deployed to the mayor’s residence and, after a few tense exchanges, quelled the demonstration.
The above scenario is one of the skill sets that the 258th MP Company practices year round as a part of the Homeland Defense Quick Reaction Force. Being aligned with that force means the company could be tasked on short notice to deploy anywhere. Capt. Blake Estlund is the commander of the 258th MP Co.
“We could be tasked to assist with missions inside the United States like a border support mission, guarding critical sites like an energy plant or a missile silo or anything the president deems necessary to protect,” he said.
Estlund said the skills are the same for the tasks his Soldiers perform in the course of their duties as military policemen, but there is a difference in what actions are authorized on the battlefield versus a civil defense mission. He said he saw improvement being made through the course of the training.
“From the beginning to the end of the week, I think we’ve progressed well,” he said. “We don’t have it mastered because of the complexity of the homeland missions contrasted with what the typical mission you might perform in Afghanistan or Iraq.”
Estlund explained there are a lot more rules and moving parts to missions involving local, state and federal agencies than there are when facing an enemy on the battlefield. He said a civil disturbance is a thorny situation to face but he thought the company performed well.
“It’s a very complex, dynamic environment for Soldiers to deal with. It was a very fast, constantly changing environment,” he said. “There was replicated CS gas (tear gas), smoke and locals with strong opinions about the way the village was being governed. That escalated into violence and I think my Soldiers did the best job possible considering the situation and the limited resources available.”
Sgt. Louis Hart, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 519th MP Bn, along with about a dozen other Soldiers from the unit, was one of the participants role-playing as a demonstrator during the exercise. He said they were there to help their brothers-and-sisters-in-arms learn the best way to respond to a riot control situation.
“I think they did well. They had an appropriate level of response, overwhelming numbers compared to the demonstrators and were able to push us back and disperse us,” he said. “After that, they didn’t just quit. They watched us, tracked where we went and responded when we tried to continue the protest.”
The protesters regathered in an alleyway trying to get back and continue the protest but the riot squad was vigilant and did not let the demonstrators outflank them. They maintained control of the space in front of the mayor’s house.
Speaking as a non-commissioned officer, Hart said training is a Soldier’s best friend.
“Training and readiness go together. If you don’t train, you won’t be able to accomplish your mission,” he said.
Hart said training is the foundation of everything a Soldier does. If a Soldier doesn’t learn early on to clean his assigned weapon, he’s not going to be able to clear a jam on the battlefield. Likewise, if there is no opposing force to show what a situation will be like, they won’t perform as effectively when the scenario presents itself in the real world.
“What if a guy is 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighs 300 pounds? Some people are big. What are you going to do when a guy like that comes barreling at you? Are you going to let him run you over?” he asked. “Not if you have the right training. With the right training you will know how to manipulate him and use his body weight against him and maintain control of the situation.”
Estlund said there is a link between what they do during a war time mission conducted overseas and their missions for homeland defense.
“A lot of the tasks we complete during wartime transition (to peacetime operations). We still execute many of the same leader commands and Soldier tasks that the nation expects of its Army, but at the same time we have to be flexible,” he said. “There is an expectation of flexibility but also familiarity with whatever task we are given, at home or abroad.”
What comes next for the 258th MP Co? More training, as you might guess. Estlund said the company will refine the lessons learned during their week in the field. He said they will resume the Homeland Defense mission and move forward with a sustaining level of training.
“We’ll increase the size of the training from a squad or platoon level. We are going to amp up the training to a company-sized element dealing with larger crowds,” he said. “We’ll raise the danger level from people pushing to having objects being thrown and other elements to enhance our knowledge base.”
Estlund said his Soldiers are hard workers and ready for any task may come their way.
“Task us with a homeland defense mission, a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan or anything else — these Soldiers are hungry,” he said. “They want to keep getting better and be prepared to protect their citizens. They know the importance of that and the impact they have by being primed for any mission, any where at any time.”

• Date Taken: 09.27.2019
• Date Posted: 09.27.2019 11:10
• Story ID: 344131
• Location: FORT POLK, LA, US