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DOHA, Qatar - The devil, as they say, is in the details. Those
details can be all the difference between effective prevention and
outright catastrophe. Details, after careful analysis, can enable an
organization to not only view their operation objectively, but can
give them all the information they need to implement improvements.
For more than a week during the month of August, the units and
individuals of Area Support Group Qatar came together in an effort
to better train on issues of threat assessment and prevention. From
leadership to supporting units, it was a comprehensive exercise
designed to improve the full spectrum of installation operations.
“The Joint Service Installation Vulnerability Assessment is a
very broad exercise. We talk about things on a large scale, and then
we break into smaller groups to discuss what we've learned and what
they've seen in their experience,” said Tony Boyce, the primary
security operations instructor with the JSIVA team.
Members
of the class came from many backgrounds, services, and job fields,
all with the common purpose of installation security. And, while
some were required to attend, others requested the opportunity to
participate.
“I requested to go to the JSIVA seminar. I had
never heard of it before,” said Staff Sgt. Kyle J. Slania, the
Kennel Master for Camp As Sayliyah. “It turned out to be a much more
in-depth class than I expected.”
"Going into the exercise
with an open and willing mind, ready to learn something new, was
important to getting the most from the training. It allowed students
to pick up on details and ideas they wouldn't otherwise," Slania
remarked.
The training was conducted in several phases, of
which lectures and group discussions on installation safety were
some of the first. According to Boyce, throughout the weeklong
training, periodic assessments are conducted to ensure everyone is
tracking the material. If they are not, the assessments allow them
to circle back and re-address topics that were not fully grasped. In
doing so, it opens the group to more detailed discussions later.
“Once we've discussed and gone over a number of situations and
procedures, we take them out into the field to see firsthand how
things are done,” Boyce continued. “There we allow them to ask
questions and assess vulnerabilities on their own.”
The array
of backgrounds brought into the discussions make every breakout
group unique.
“I found it interesting, because when we go
out and assess ‘vulnerabilities' everyone brings their skills to the
table,” said Slania. “When I went out, as a working dog expert, I
focused on how we could use working dogs to fill the gaps, if any
were found.”
By placing class members in the field with the
Soldiers actively conducting the security mission, a better
understanding and larger scope of the mission was revealed, Slania
explained. By identifying and breaking down the parts that make the
whole of installation security, Soldiers were able to reevaluate
their understanding on perimeter defense and view it in a new light.
“Backwards planning is another factor I learned more about,”
Slania said. “Our instructor, Tony, would say, ‘you have to think
like the bad guys.' So, we would go through all of the steps it
would take a person to get access to something, and then ensure that
we were taking proper security steps. I had never thought of it like
that, and it was very interesting.”
Keeping class members on
their toes, and actively showing how the mission changes from one
instance to another, was also beneficial to growth.
“It's an
important learning experience to go from the classroom to the field,
and see how procedures vary from classroom to the real world,” Boyce
said.
The goal of the JSIVA is to have students leave the
class with a fresh perspective and new-found respect for identifying
and adjusting to any vulnerabilities they find.
“Now, I can
go to any installation and help the commanders assess their
installations for vulnerabilities,” Slania said. “So, when I go back
to my home station, I'll be able to identify and inform my commander
about any vulnerabilities I see, and how we could use different
measures to correct them.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Alfred Tripolone III
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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