BAMBERG, Germany (May 13, 2013) -- Loud shouting, gun shots and cries. Those were the sounds made recently at U.S. Army Garrison Bamberg's local training area. A team of military police officers immediately starts moving towards the building, an active shooter runs amok and starts shooting whoever comes across his way. Smoke fills the air; orders are shouted. It was one of the scenarios that German and American law enforcement units practiced at Bamberg's urban warfare training area May 7.
"The tactics of the U.S. Military Police and the Bavarian Polizei are quite similar," said Holger Dremel, Polizeihauptkommissar at Bamberg's city district police department. "The goal is always to incapacitate and hamstring an active shooter as soon as possible and put him under pressure."
Three trainers of Bamberg's police department, the operational support unit or "Operative Ergaenzungsdienste Bamberg" led the training. Thanks to an interpreter, no detail was lost in transition. Twenty Soldiers from Bamberg's 630th MP Company honed their skills and showed their tactics on how to storm a building and clear it room by room.
"Although we are training this on a regular basis, there are always new details to experience," Dremel said.
After some dry exercises, the MPs used paintball guns for the practical part of the training. Their German colleagues used so-called FX ammunition, which is harder, and the same type of weapon they would use in an emergency. It just feels more realistic, and that's also true for ammunition, said a German participant.
"The American military policemen are well prepared and know what to do. Training exercises are done to improve oneself," Dremel said.
Their American counterparts were also impressed by the professionalism and discipline of the Bamberg policemen.
"It was really good to see their tactics," said Lt. Breanna Good, 630th MP company.
Good was coordinated the training and plans more training sessions with the Bamberg police in the future.
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