SUNNY POINT, N.C. - The U.S. Army Materiel Command is reaping the benefits of Army National Guard training.
Sixty members of the North Carolina Army National Guard's 211th Military Police Company supported the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU), Provost Marshall Office by providing physical security and law and order operations at the installation here, Feb. 18 - March 5, 2016.
MOTSU, one of two military ocean terminals that ship munitions across the globe, falls under the AMC umbrella.
AMC and its Reserve Component Mission Support Office working to matching the organization's requirements with part-time training opportunities that result in win-win situations.
"This mission provided another significant opportunity for AMC and the Army National Guard to team together to provide a real world mission for our Army National Guard soldiers," said Maj. Gen. Elizabeth Austin, AMC assistant deputy commanding general for Army National Guard Affairs. "Not only did this mission enhance the readiness of the 211th soldiers it also enhanced the readiness of the MOTSU permanent party security forces by freeing up a majority of the force to attend annual required recertification training. This was a win for both organizations."
Army Capt. Ruben Velez, a guard supervisor with the MOTSU, Provost Marshall Office has served at the installation since 2003. "This is the first year that the National Guard has assisted us with our training requirement and they have done a great job, very professional operators," said Velez.
In order to conduct training as a staff, the Provost Marshall Office needs two weeks a year to provide the necessary training. During that time military police, like the soldiers from the 211th, provide physical security and other law enforcement functions for the installation.
The opportunity to work at MOTSU allows the soldiers of the 211th to gain valuable training and meets their annual training requirements. In addition to perimeter patrols, physical security, crew security and other law enforcement operations, soldiers were trained on boat safety and conducted water patrols in MOTSU's harbor.
"The soldiers were able to use their military police skills and acquire new skills, such as being part of a harbor patrol, which is something these soldiers have never had the opportunity to experience," Austin said. "Not only did this mission enhance the readiness of both the Soldiers and the security forces it also supported the implementation of the Army Total Force Policy."
Army Capt. Greg Lewis, commander of the 211th said the unique mission at MOTSU brought new challenges to the Military Police Company.
"Having the boat patrols in addition to our regular operations has been great for our team, overall this has been real-world exposure and it has given our junior leaders a chance to problem solve, work 12-hour shifts, the young guys have really stepped up," said Lewis.
Many members of the 211th Military Police Company are full time law enforcement officers from around North Carolina. As part of the mission at MOTSU, these law enforcement and radar gun certified Soldiers were delegated the authority to stop speeding on post and issued citations during their time at MOTSU. The tickets did not include fines but those caught speeding did have messages sent to a supervisor.
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