Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tanisha Karn | U.S. Army Spc. Isaac Flores, a military police officer assigned to the 615th Military...... read more read more
Story by 1st Lt. Kayley Phillips, U.S. Army Regional Correctional Activity-Europe
SEMBACH, Germany – U.S. Army Regional Correctional Activity - Europe (USARCA-E) personnel partnered with the 709th Military Police Battalion and Croatian military police in May and June 2025 to share their expertise in operating a Theater Detention Facility (TDF), enhancing allied interoperability in support of Exercise Immediate Response 25. The exercise was part of U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s DEFENDER 25 exercise series.
Ten USARCA-E team members deployed from U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz’ Sembach Kaserne to the TDF at Josip Jović Barracks, Udbina, Croatia to provide realistic training scenarios for military intelligence investigators from the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade.
The weeklong training featured 26 role players acting as detainees to test critical detention tasks including forced cell extraction techniques, emergency procedures, investigation protocols and instruction on the Geneva Conventions. The USARCA-E team integrated with Croatian military police forces, fostering interoperability and strengthening the U.S.-Croatian alliance through NATO.
The TDF provided valuable training for MI investigators in a counterinsurgency environment and shed light on best practices for future detention operations in the European theater.
Sgt. 1st Class David Diaz, 18th Military Police Brigade platoon sergeant, said the training highlighted the importance of integrating correctional specialists in detention operations.
“We do it day in and day out and most skills transfer. It’s prison in a different environment,” Diaz said, emphasizing the applicability of correctional experience to enhance operational effectiveness and ensure legal and ethical standards.
DEFENDER 25 is the largest U.S. Army exercise in Europe, scheduled by U.S. European Command and conducted by U.S. Army Europe and Africa involving more than 25 Allied and partner nations.
Immediate Response 25 is a U.S. Army large-scale exercise enhancing cyber and counter-biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) defense capabilities, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) integration through state partnership readiness programs and multinational exercises to equip NATO’s regional plans and uphold U.S. commitments to the Alliance.
Immediate Response 25 demonstrated multinational live fires conducted with NATO networks, a cyber exercise, water crossing, and CBRN exercises from May 26 - June 9, 2025, with over 12,000 participants and hosted in eight countries to include Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovakia.
U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz operates Sembach Kaserne, home to the U.S. Army Regional Correctional Activity Facility-Europe detention center. USAG Rheinland-Pfalz advances the Department of Defense mission to achieve peace through strength as we serve, support and secure the total force community, enabling power projection for the European Theater.
Connect with USAG Rheinland-Pfalz: https://linktr.ee/usag_rp
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2025 08:43 |
| Story ID: | 543970 |
| Location: | SEMBACH, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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