8th MPs join exercise Keen Sword

By Staff Sgt. Taresha Hill, 8th Military Police Brigade Public Affairs, 8th Theater Sustainment CommandDecember 20, 2016

8th MPs join exercise Keen Sword
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS- U.S. Army Military Police Soldiers from 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th MP Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, operate a traffic control point as part of the Keen Sword training exercise held O... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
8th MPs join exercise Keen Sword
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP HANSEN, Japan- Members of the Japanese Self Defense Force are shown a display of non-lethal weapons as part of the detention operations block of instruction given during the Keen Sword training exercise held Oct. 30-Nov.11, 2016, at the Marine C... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- Two teams of subject matter experts from the 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, trained with the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) during exercise Keen Sword held Oct. 30- Nov. 11 at Marine Corps Brig, Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan and on Tinian Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Keen Sword is the latest in a series of joint, bilateral field training exercises since 1986 involving U.S. military and JSDF personnel designed to increase combat readiness and interoperability of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Approximately 11,000 U.S. service members joined their JSDF counterparts in an effort to enhance the combat readiness and interoperability of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

The two MPs teams had separate missions during Keen Sword. While one team supported the collaborative effort to gain a better understanding of detention operations by instructing the JSDF on the required indigenous training capabilities of detention operations, another team operated two traffic control points on Tinian Island.

For the first two days, the JSDF received eight hours of classroom instruction, which included an overview on an array of topics such as the Geneva Conventions, site planning, types of detention facilities, biometrics and treatment of detainees and the operational requirements for detention facilities.

"The JSDF were very pleased with the classroom instruction and enjoyed our demonstration of forced cell movement procedures," said Capt. Megan Holt, a plans officer with 8th MP Bde. "The JSDF now has a basic understanding of how the United States Army conducts detention operations during contingency operations. I personally got a lot out of the combined visit between the U.S. Marine Corps Provost Marshal in Okinawa, myself, and senior JSDF staff regarding the way forward for bilateral detention operations training."

In addition to the classroom training, the JSDF also toured the brig, viewed a static display of non-lethal weapons and were given a demonstration of a Forced Cell Move (FCM).

Staff Sgt. Jason Pruitt, an operations noncommissioned officer with 728th MP Battalion, 8th MP Bde., explained that the FCM is a five-man team who is on standby and whose purpose "is to extract a hostile detainee using the least amount of force as necessary and to safely relocate the detainee to a sterilized cell or a restraint chair after searching for possible contraband."

"The end-state was for the JSDF to gain a better understanding of detention operations with regards to enemy prisoners of war, which was accomplished by the training and demonstrations," said Holt.

Near the end of Keen Sword, the second mission was underway for the other team of MPs as they operated two traffic control points. The points allowed them to warn local citizens of traffic restrictions so they wouldn't interfere with the training, similar to how military police support traffic operations when required at home station.

While this mission had less JSDF interaction, it did allow the U.S. military police officers to work directly with citizens of Japan. Their public safety efforts supported the fundamental role of U.S. forces in Japan, which is to deter aggression and maintain peace and security in the region, and is an essential component of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

"Keen Sword was a great experience and my team demonstrated they were the professionals they were trained to be," said Staff Sgt. Devon Robinson an MP with 8th MP Bde.