Photo By Master Sgt. Holly Bayly | Counterdrug Task Force members complete firearms qualifications at the range June 19. ...... read more read more
SACRAMENTO, Calif. −The first round of California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force (CDTF) seasonal hires, hailing from units across the state, attended required training before hitting their respective regions. The training took place in Northern California from June 22-26 when the hires were taught valuable training for the role they will play supporting law enforcement agencies across California.
CDTF works with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, local police departments, and county sheriff’s offices to support the common interest of protecting the state of California from illegal drug activity that is harmful to the public and the environment. CDTF members are embedded in these operations in order to seamlessly augment any agency to which they are assigned. In order to enable that, each new and returning ground tactical team undergoes training to prepare them.
After administratively in-processing, new CDTF members began with a land navigation refresher course, followed by Tactical Combat Casualty Care (T-CCC), small unit tactics, ground reconnaissance, and weapons qualifications.
These Soldiers draw on the backgrounds they already possess – from years of military training – to create a skilled team that brings a high degree of proficiency to the operation that agencies deeply appreciate.
An officer with the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office remarked that the CDTF members he worked with were “impressive, high-speed Soldiers. We all had to try and keep up with them.”
CDTF creates an increased atmosphere of security by bringing operational experience that allows law enforcement agencies to focus on the mission with an augmented force of reliable personnel upon which our law enforcement partners have come to rely. Additionally, one of the ways CDTF augments these agencies is through the medical aid training that task force members receive.
An 11-year Army medic and active member of CDTF taught the T-CCC course. He imparted some of his own experience by reminding the class, “If something happens out there, remember: you will only be able to use what you thought to pack with you.”
This seemingly simple piece of advice is one that speaks of experience and creates a critical mindset that can make all the difference in an environment where such training can be lifesaving.
The week-long training also included ground reconnaissance where members put into practice the land navigation training received the day prior. CDTF members and instructors headed out to a rural training site where they practiced point-to-point movement with GPS to find given points in order to “test small unit tactics, test equipment, and bust some rust,” as one Army infantry Soldier said.
Despite many of the Soldiers having extensive field experience throughout their careers, they all found the training helpful. They became familiar with their CDTF-issued gear and learned what law enforcement agencies might expect from them while working operations in both rural and urban environments. Because of their military training, this group of Soldiers was able to quickly adapt to the needs of law enforcement while displaying an understanding of authority limits.
In true military style, the instructors and Soldiers convened post-training for the after action report (AAR). The AAR is ingrained into most operational units in the military and is a habit that teaches and encourages personnel to maintain a critical eye and to practice real-time analysis of each and every decision made and action taken. The entire operation is reviewed and discussion encourages immediate improvements.
Another element particular to the Counterdrug training culture is an almost immediate and natural team cohesion that appears to be second nature to our Army National Guard personnel. The instructors who prepared this current class of eight members drew on years of their own experience as they turned the group of Soldiers from around the state into a functioning CDTF team.
“It may seem like team cohesion is second nature to them, but we are always watching to make sure our members have – and continue to have – this characteristic,” Command Sgt. Maj. Ian Bones of the Counterdrug Task Force, said. “We don’t take it for granted.”
Team cohesion is foundational to success and is something that can’t be taught in a week or a month. It is an almost instinctive characteristic CDTF members bring with them from day one and is an achievement that certainly doesn’t go unnoticed by our California agency partners.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2020 18:48 |
| Story ID: | 374953 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 587 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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