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ESD Members Conduct Training Exercise

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060327-11
Release Date: 3/27/2006 3:58:00 PM

By Journalist 2nd Class Michelle Burnside, Naval Operational Support Center Tulsa Public Affairs

TULSA, Okla. (NNS) -- Sailors from Embarkation Security Detachment (ESD) 263, assigned to the Navy and Marine Corps Operational Support Center here, participated in a two-week Annual Training exercise in Virginia in February.

The primary mission of the six twelve-member teams for ESD units is to provide afloat Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection for Military Sealift Command ships using both pier and ship patrol. The training was designed to enhance the unit’s security awareness aboard ships and improve mission readiness.

“We’ve been in the 'crawl stage,'” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Charles Root, a longtime veteran of the Joplin, Mo., police department. “Now we’re in our 'walk stage,' where we’re laying hands on, actually doing the job. This will prepare us for our 'run stage.'”

Two teams from the six teams assigned to ESD 263 spent their first four days of training in Quantico, Va. After familiarizing, qualifying, and cleaning weapons such as the .50 cal., M-203 grenade launcher, M-9 pistol, M-16 rifle, and the EM-500 shotgun, the Sailors arrived at Portsmouth, Va., to learn shipboard procedures and utilize the weapons on which they had trained.

“We learned how to use the tools and then went and applied them,” said Master-at-Arms 3rd class Dan Martin, a police officer for 10 years in Stillwater, Okla. “The training gave operational awareness to the team as a whole down to each Sailor’s duties to protect the ship.”

Actual scenarios from the Navy Regulations Manual were replayed in “shoot/don’t shoot” scenarios using unloaded real weapons equipped with training range lasers. The Sailors were graded harder by training personnel each day while they and their ESD 261 and 262 counterparts also evaluated each other.

The team members manned their gun mounts, encountered small boats simulating threats to the ship, and then trained on proceedings dealing with that threat.

“Our goal is to be fully trained and qualified prior to deployment,” said Root. “And we’ll continue to train once we get the call. At the end, we’ll be graded by a training team who will watch us go through a four-week mobilization.”

Future training will include team leaders, alternates, and others being slated to attend Tactical Supervisor School. These “TacSups,” who direct activities from a ship's bridge, are in charge of gun mounts and making contact with incoming craft to warn of danger or the ship’s threat zone being entered.

“Tactical supervisors protect the ship from any and all enemies,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joe Greer, executive officer for ESD 263, whose Navy career spans more than 32 years.

Since various ratings and civilian skills are represented in ESD, Martin believes that they will benefit from a variety of future training.

The goal of implementing this type of detailed training is to give each person the opportunity to learn other team members' jobs, reemphasizing the unit’s goal to be mission ready when the call comes to deploy.