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In practical terms, the Navy requires Sailors to protect and defend its people and its property. In reality, this task is demanding, complex, and at times, dangerous. The Sailors who take on this responsibility – they are the Master-at-Arms.
Included as one of the original job ratings defined in the Naval Act of 1794, the MAs have long been the Navy’s law enforcement and security professionals who safeguard personnel, prevent unauthorized access to ships and installations, and protect against espionage, sabotage, damage, and theft.
Today, the Navy’s Security Forces are a composite of active-duty, civilian, local nationals, and contractors. At NSA Souda Bay, this diverse group works across many divisions to protect our critical infrastructure, ensure our continuity of operations, and enforce the policies and procedures designed to protect our personnel, facilities, and equipment. But since there are existing threats that never take a break, there are those who must always stand the watch – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The watch bill is divided into four sections (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta) – two day sections and two night sections – who work in 12-hour shifts on a “2 days on, 3 days off, 3 days on, 2 days off” rotating schedule.
These are the MAs who are sentries posted at the gates, patrol officers who secure aircraft parked on the airfield, harbor security boat coxswain and crewmembers who escort visiting ships, and military working dog handlers who search vehicles and buildings for drugs and explosives.
They provide a safe environment for Team Souda and also for fuel, cargo, ammunition, and repairs provided to transiting aircraft, ships, and submarines, each with their own missions to carry out.
NSA Souda Bay Security Officer Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Groesbeck said that in the short time he has been at this installation he can see that the master-at-arms community is resilient against the unique challenges it faces and enables the installation to carry out its mission successfully.
"Without our MAs standing the watch, NSA Souda Bay simply couldn't carry out its mission here," said Groesbeck. "From the airfield to the port, the security we provide 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is absolutely vital for our installation to provide the support that it does."
The following is a glimpse into what a “typical” day might look like for the MAs standing the watch across the installation.
Guard Mount
For an MA assigned to a watch section, the work day begins at the armory when they receive their assigned weapons and “arm-up” for their shift. But before they are allowed to go on duty they are required to meet with the rest of their section at guard mount.
“Guard mount is when everyone shows up to complete our muster,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Shawn Shirley. “We make our gear check, and make sure everyone is good to go. Make sure everyone is fit to do it – make sure no one smells like alcohol, nobody is tired and falling asleep.”
On this day, MAs assigned to Charlie section must be ready to meet at 5:45 a.m. in the training classroom for guard mount before relieving the night-shift of the watch. The MAs casually talk with each other as they begin to stand in formation. As guard mount kicks off, the MAs recite the ‘Sailors Creed’, the definition of deadly force, the seven justifications of using deadly force, and their chain of command. Each Sailor and their equipment are inspected to confirm that all are present, accounted for and ready for duty.
The section’s leaders stand at the front of the formation and provide relevant information important to the shift’s mission and pass along details of any new or changing procedures. When there are no further questions, all break for their respective posts.
Sentries and Patrol
A sentry is a MA who stands guard at an entry control point and is the first face seen by those approaching an installation. They check identification cards and grant authorized personnel access to the installation.
There are also MAs who patrol this installation, which is divided into several zones, either on foot or in a vehicle. They rotate throughout their shift throughout these zones to provide a constant roving patrol.
One of these zones includes the airfield where, to secure the aircraft parked there, an MA assigned to the watch bill checks the fence line, escorts vehicles, and looks for suspicious activity.
Because there are specific rules for how the flight line operates, the MAs who patrol this zone are required to have the Airfield Vehicle Operator Course along with the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course.
“It is extra training because they have to know how to drive on the flight line, what to avoid” said Shirley. “Because (the airfield) is a completely different world than what’s out there.”
Harbor Patrol
MAs assigned to harbor patrol begin their day at guard mount with their respective section before driving to the Marathi NATO Pier Facility. From the piers in Minoan Basin harbor that opens up into Souda Bay, they operate a fleet of patrol boats which are used to secure the water around the piers and escort high-value assets, such as aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines, which dock at Marathi while receiving support from NSA Souda Bay.
On this day, Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Kevin Johnson, a coxswain, and Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Jerry Savage Jr., a crewmember, operate the “station vessel” patrolling the water within their area of responsibility, which extends several hundred yards beyond the piers.
“Boats coming in and out – if they come anywhere close to our [area of responsibility] it’s up to us to screen the vessel to see what’s wrong,” said Johnson. “If it’s a hostile act or if it’s just a casual observer passing through, we alleviate the situation and either push them out or deal with it if it comes to a level of force higher than that.”
Savage Jr., a Sailor serving his first overseas tour, said his responsibility as a crewmember is to take instruction from the coxswain, operate the gun, perform the line handling, and communicate any important information.
Harbor patrol also has a “ready vessel” on stand-by, ready to respond if a threat is something more than a civilian boat that veers too close.
“Luckily, we’re in a pretty safe area,” said Johnson. “But we’ve got to stay vigilant.”
Military Working Dog Handlers
The military uses working dogs like specialized pieces of equipment to supplement and enhance their capabilities – because trained MWDs can detect explosives or drugs better than humans.
At NSA Souda Bay, a kennel master and MWD handlers train with four detector dogs: Diego, a Belgian Malinois; Weezy, a Labrador; Zico, a Belgian Malinois; and Gerry, a German Shepherd.
“Every day we are at work, the dogs are with us,” said Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Dustin Ahlschwede, a military working dog handler. “We take them out and we utilize them for searching vehicles, buildings, foot patrols. We do training on all parts of the base – detection training and patrol training for the dogs that are patrol-qualified dogs.”
The MWD handlers also perform bite training with the dogs up to several times a week. Master-at-Arms Seaman Johamed Rodriquez, a first-term Sailor aspiring to attend the MWD handler candidate school, volunteers during his off-time as kennel support. On this day, he wore the bite suit.
“The first day I was in the suit I was nervous – you can even ask these other guys,” said Rodriguez. “I’m not the greatest decoy but it’s something to learn. I love it. I personally love it. I love being in the suit.”
But the question everyone asks is, does it hurt?
“So, it’s not like any pain you’re going to feel,” said Rodriguez. “There’s spot on the suit that the dog will bite that you will feel like a little pinch, it’s mainly just pressure.”
After the MWD handlers finish their bite training, Ahlschwede explained there is paperwork to fill out for every time they use a dog.
“At the end of the day we have to log everything we did,” said Ahlschwede. “All the vehicles we swept, buildings, piers, watercraft, whatever we search it goes into the system.”
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2019 04:13 |
| Story ID: | 355188 |
| Location: | GR |
| Web Views: | 1,945 |
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This work, A Day in the Life of a Master-at-Arms at NSA Souda Bay, by Joel Diller, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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