Photo By Joseph Bruton | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District recently partnered with the...... read more read more
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Looking to push annual training beyond the classroom, the USACE Sacramento District recently staged a rare, large-scale joint antiterrorism exercise – one that pulled together federal, military, and local law enforcement units for a three-day test of coordination under pressure.
The exercise, codenamed Iron Walls 2025, unfolded at an undisclosed USACE property in Calaveras County and featured a simulated bomb threat that escalated into a multi-agency law enforcement response.
The script was starkly realistic.
The exercise officially began on Aug. 7, when Army CID and Army Counterintelligence passed threat-related intelligence information to USACE Sacramento District Security and Law Enforcement Office about a possible threat at a USACE-managed stand-alone facility. What followed tested not only tactical response but also interagency communication, chain-of-command clarity, and logistical readiness.
It continued with a call warning of an explosive device. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office deployed deputies, its SWAT team, and the Explosives Ordnance Division. Special Agents from Army Criminal Investigation Division and Army Counterintelligence joined in, as did the USACE Division Security and Law Enforcement Office, and stand-alone facility personnel.
What began with intelligence-sharing, quickly ramped up. Law enforcement personnel treated the site as a live threat zone, SWAT conducted clearance operations, and explosive ordnance disposal technicians rolled out a remote-controlled robot to neutralize the suspected device.
“This was about realism,” said Igor D., an antiterrorism officer with the Sacramento District, who asked that his last name be withheld for security reasons. “We’ve never pulled together this kind of multi-organization training before, but the value of working shoulder-to-shoulder was undeniable.”
While the scenario focused on a single bomb threat, the broader objective was to test and refine antiterrorism protocols: responding to credible threats, adapting to shifts in Force Protection Condition levels, and ensuring law enforcement and military authorities could interact seamlessly together
Force Protection Condition, often referenced as FPCON, is the Department of Defense tiered system for escalating security measures in response to potential or actual terrorist activity. Exercises like Iron Walls are designed to ensure that if FPCON levels rise, personnel across agencies know exactly what to do.
“The goal was not just to execute a site-specific antiterrorism plan,” Igor D. said, “but also to lay the foundation for a formal memorandum of understanding between USACE and the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department.”
An annual antiterrorism field training exercise is mandatory for the Sacramento District team, but rarely is it staged on such a scale – or with this level of realism.
Pulling it off required extensive preparation. Six months of joint planning sessions and coordination among nearly four dozen participants, including 24 sheriff’s personnel, two counterintelligence special agents, two CID special agents, and eight USACE security staff preceded the exercise.
The value, organizers say, is that in an actual crisis, success depends on how well agencies integrate on the ground.
“This kind of joint training builds confidence and trust,” Igor D. said. “When you’ve faced a scenario together, even in a controlled environment, you’re that much more prepared if the day ever comes for real.”
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2025 12:40 |
| Story ID: | 547323 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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