KFOR conducts joint force protection exercise at Camp Bondsteel

Photo By Sgt. Jonathan Perdelwitz | U.S. Army Spc. Ivan Slawsky, a military working dog handler deployed to Regional Command-East, Kosovo Force 28, uses a military working dog to sniff out an improvised explosive device during a joint force protection exercise at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, on Jan. 23, 2021. A mock vehicle-borne IED was detected at the main gate, initiating a cooperative process between military police, security contractors, medical and fire department personnel, and the explosive ordnance disposal team to secure the area and eliminate the threat. The military working dog quickly found the IED and alerted his handler of its presence. Slawsky is assigned to the 100th Military Police Detachment based out of Stuttgart, Germany. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jonathan Perdelwitz)  

CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO

01.24.2021

Story by Staff Sgt. Tawny Kruse 

KFOR Regional Command East

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East, Kosovo Force 28, conducted a joint force protection exercise at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, on Jan. 23, 2021. While conducting a routine search at the main gate, a military working dog detected a mock vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and alerted its handler.

Two role players in the vehicle were apprehended by security contractors and the gate was shut down. This initiated a cooperative process involving military police, security personnel, an explosive ordnance team, medical first responders and the fire department to secure the area and eliminate the IED threat.

2nd Lt. Allison Vierps, officer in charge of the military police force on Camp Bondsteel, began planning the exercise in December.

“The main goal of this exercise was to see how the different units work together,” said Vierps, a Maryland Army National Guard Soldier. “My MPs have never worked with contract security or EOD personnel before.”

As the EOD team worked to disable the IED and a military investigator helped question the suspects, Vierps and her Soldiers facilitated communication between the teams and provided area security.

Vierps said her Soldiers responded exactly how they were supposed to, even without a complete set of instructions. They staged patrol cars and security personnel on the roads to prevent vehicles from reaching the gate before it was cleared.

“I didn’t give them all of the information because I wanted to test them,” said Vierps, “but they’re doing their job correctly. It’s good to see it happened how I imagined it would happen without any major points of conflict.”

While the exercise offered a way to test the capabilities and interoperability of units on Camp Bondsteel, Vierps said it also reinforced the effectiveness of existing KFOR procedures to keep service members and civilians safe on base.

“The exercise had good training value, and we don’t need to make any major changes to the plans KFOR has put in place,” said Vierps.

• Date Taken: 01.24.2021
• Date Posted: 01.24.2021 10:49
• Story ID: 387474
• Location: CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ
• Hometown: EDMOND, OK, US
• Hometown: WESTMINSTER, MD, US