To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

To counter an active-shooter threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel from the U.S. Military Academy conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at West Point.

In today’s world, the threat of an active shooter is unfortunately becoming all too common. Schools, workplaces and public spaces have all been targets of these horrific attacks, leaving devastation in their wake.

To counter this threat, military, civilian, federal and state law enforcement, emergency response and medical personnel conducted a full Force Protection Exercise on March 29 at the U.S. Military Academy.

“We hope a scenario like this will never happen here or anywhere, but we must be prepared for anything that could possibly harm our community,” said Matthew Cassidy, the USMA Protection/Antiterrorism officer. “There are so many benefits but essentially this Force Protection Exercise allows our coordination levels and emergency systems to be tested and refined.”

Cassidy went on to explain the other essential benefit of the exercise is it would help identify any weaknesses in the response plan.

“By simulating a real-life active-shooter scenario, personnel can identify areas lacking in the response plan,” Cassidy said. “This could include anything from inadequate personnel training to communication protocol gaps. Once these weaknesses are identified, steps can be taken to address them and improve the overall response plan.”

Cassidy later explained how all the planning finally came together during this post-wide exercise.

“We have been planning this since September of last year,” Cassidy said. “This is an excellent opportunity to conduct the plan we have been working on for months, so now everyone will experience what it's like to go through this situation.”

"Bang, bang!" The role-playing shooter began storming through the barracks, shooting a simulated firearm. The emergency alarm sounded and a 911 distress call was dialed to the West Point emergency line. "Shots fired" came over the phone as cadets, serving as victim role-players, lay on the ground yelling from their simulated injuries.

Military Police vehicles were the first ones on the scene to address the report of an active shooter. The MPs moved quickly to block the area from traffic and confront the role-playing shooter. Increasingly, more state and local law enforcement and emergency vehicles arrived to support the exercise.

The MPs and paramedics then provided medical aid and security to the simulated wounded. After all the personnel were cleared from the area, the New York State SWAT, New York Negotiation Team and the MPs cornered the role-playing shooter.

The Force Protection Exercise Incident Commander, Capt. Derek Mataczynski, oversaw the execution of the exercise and the management of all the information on the event's status.

Mataczynski said how arriving on the scene was meant to be stressful for him and all the players of the event to help their plan.

“The scene was stressful, but with the collective effort from all the different agencies, we were able to get in there and immediately begin pulling people to safety,” Mataczynski said. “This is why collaboration is so important in any emergency, including involving an active shooter.”

Many cadets participated in the exercise, serving as victims of the attack, including Class of 2023 Cadet Daniel Lamoureux from San Antonio.

Lamoureux said tragedies happen more often than we would like to say in the United States, so this training is essential and should be practiced frequently.

Lamoureux also said that because of this training, he knows what to do in this kind of emergency situation.

“This is my fourth time going through this exercise, and we rehearse the ‘run, hide, and fight’ lesson every year,” Lamoureux said. “I am very confident that I know what to do if this ever happens here or anywhere.”

Although this training could have been reduced to a briefing in an auditorium somewhere, Lamoureux emphasized that he was glad it was more realistic.

“Nothing beats hands-on experience and training,” Lamoureux said. “You can teach this on paper or through a slide, but it's totally different from a whole exercise like this.”

Lamoureux added how this can be a frightening thought to have something like this ever happen, but repetition has helped push pass those thoughts.

“If I’m put in this situation in the future, and there’s an active gunman, I can say to myself, yeah, ‘I’m scared right now.’ Still, I know what I need to do, and that’s at the forefront of my mind because sometimes you are just running on adrenaline,” Lamoureux said. “But all you have are your drills, exercises and experiences, and if you do it enough, it just becomes muscle memory at that point.”

The simulated wounded were treated and evaluated, and the simulated active shooter was apprehended, concluding the full Force Protection Exercise.

“The safety of our West Point community is our number one priority,” Mataczynski said. "By providing personnel with the opportunity to work together in a coordinated manner, identifying weaknesses in the response plan, and increasing the overall level of preparedness, these exercises can help save lives in an actual active-shooter situation.”