115th MPs train with Bosnian counterparts in Puerto Rico

By 1st Lt Dionna Matteson—

The 115th Military Police Battalion and their Bosnian counterparts spent their annual training from April 23 to May 7, 2016 in Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico.

The purpose of the exercise was to conduct annual weapons qualifications for the M-4 rifle and the M-9 pistol. The soldiers were also able to dive into more advanced training by working on reflexive fire and engaging in a stress shoot scenario.

This training event is also one example of military-to-military support under the State Partnership Program the Maryland National Guard has with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) since 2003.

Soldiers from the 115th MP were able to train at the company and platoon level to work their way up to a culminating situational tactics exercise (STX). This STX involved staff at the battalion level setting up and running a stationary tactical operations center (TOC) while running platoons through real-world scenarios. These scenarios consisted of meeting with town elders, locating a weapons cache, reacting to an ambush, convoy missions, and other escalation of force activities. The soldiers were even able to use the multiple integrated laser engagement systems (MILES) in order to paint a more accurate picture of enemy contact.

The hard work, planning, and collaboration of all the soldiers throughout the battalion helped to create a cohesive and fast-paced training environment in which all personnel were able to learn and grow as soldiers, leaders, and friends. Thanks to the effort and dedication from all of the soldiers involved, the battalion was also able to spend some time during annual training to sample the local food and check out some of the amazing sights that Puerto Rico had to offer. There was even an opportunity to conduct a reenlistment of three soldiers on the top of a mountain.

Thanks to a successful synchronization of the 115th MP Battalion, Bosnian partners, and Puerto Rican counterparts at Camp Santiago, the annual training exercise was a success. Hopefully, the coordination and collaboration of these two units will provide more training interactions in the future and prepare the battalion for other training events and deployments overseas.