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ĀDAŽI, Latvia – U.S. Soldiers from the 102nd Military Police Company, 153rd Troop Command Brigade, 53rd Troop Command, partnered with the Canadian Forces Military Police and Latvian Armed Forces Military Police to conduct a joint detention facility training exercise.
“It helps us align our doctrine with each other under the NATO framework,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michelle Spencer, 336th Military Police Battalion Commander, “so that when we do large-scale combat operations, detainee holding areas are a key piece of that mission set.”
Troops from the different countries worked together, sharing their operational tactics and assisting each other in solving problems that arose during a five-step detention process.
This process began by collecting the detainees and holding them in a safe and controlled environment away from the rest of the personnel. Next, a different set of troops searched the detainees deliberately and efficiently for anything that could harm personnel or themselves. Afterwards, medics screened detainees and documented any medical or physical problems, making sure that they noted any issues that the detainee brought forth. Once the medical portion of the screening is completed, detainees are then handed over to the administrative team, where they go over key elements such as registration and identification. After completing the necessary steps, they are then handed over to the security team, which takes detainees and escorts them to a secured portion of the detention center. They are then separated by rank and gender, and provided with shelter and any necessary food or treatment.
Despite the differences in operational tactics, everyone maintained a clear understanding of the mission throughout the training, managing to take care of the detainees and each other. By working together, the multinational troops successfully processed five detainees through all the necessary steps in 40 minutes.
“That is generally really fast for anyone to really do,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Minjarez, detainee operations NCOIC, from the 102nd Military Police Company. He went on to compare how the teams performed today against what he had seen before, “Average number of detainees processed within that same exact period of time, two to three,” Minjarez said.
Once each exercise concludes, these troops then conduct an after-action review, asking questions and offering advice and assistance to those who need it. This AAR helps establish strong communication within each team and allows each member to learn from their partners.
“I think this is really going to improve the mission set under the NATO framework,” said Lt. Col. Michelle Spencer, “the detainee holding area is really important for large-scale combat operations.”
Operating this detention facility with the help of partnering NATO Allied countries strengthens troop readiness, fosters lethality, and establishes a strong NATO partnership with the other countries. The cohesion established during this training strengthens and prepares the troops in case of a real-world application.
“It's important that we not only learn from each other and build relations,” said Sgt. Michael Minjarez, “but it's very important so that in the event that anything is to actually happen, we will be able to work very well together.”
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2025 09:27 |
| Story ID: | 551210 |
| Location: | ADAZI, LV |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S., Canadian and Latvian troops conduct joint detainee holding area training, by PFC Gabriel Martinez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
