FORT CARSON, Colo. -- 1st Lt. Caitlyn French is determined her team of military police will earn its certification as a special reaction team this fall.
"We'll be training up until this certification to ensure we're successful," said French, 759th Military Police Battalion.
As the officer-in-charge of SRT training, French said it is her responsibility that the MPs receive adequate practice with marksmanship, room clearing and hostage situations before evaluators from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., travel to Fort Carson to determine if the team has what it takes to be a certified SRT.
"Everything we do will be scrutinized," she said. "The training has to be very intense."
The equivalent of a civilian SWAT team, an SRT is able to respond to dangerous situations and, although individual members of the 759th MP Battalion are certified, Fort Carson has not had its own SRT since January 2011.
"With the deployment cycle and other MP commitments, we do not have a certified SRT," French said.
Staff Sgt. Jason Murray said it is important for Fort Carson to have its own SRT.
"You want to have an SRT to fall back on," said Murray, 148th MP Detachment.
Murray, who was a certified member of SRT at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in 2003, said he enjoys being part of the teams.
"Ever since I got into it, I've liked tactics and weapons," he said. "It's high-impact. It's an exciting way to help people."
Murray said the intense training builds team camaraderie, helping them to form a bond.
"It's a very challenging commitment," French said. "SRT members are held to the highest of standards."
French said Soldiers participated in two phases of training, which tested basic SRT skills as well as marksmanship.
"It was great," said Sgt. Chris Logan, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 759th MP Bn. "Tactically, it expanded my knowledge. … You have to be able to adapt and change, based on the variables in each scenario."
Logan was one of only six Soldiers to pass phases one and two.
"If you missed one, you were dropped," he said. "It instills confidence in your teammates that they will know what to do at a moment's notice."
Because of the stringent standards set for SRTs, French said the battalion has held multiple tryouts since January to fill the 20-person requirement.
"It's a very challenging commitment," French said. "We still have gate commitments and road commitments. We have units still deploying. … It's more training than the average MP, but it's worth it."
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