HOMELAND MARITIME SECURITY

     After the tragic events of 9-11, considerable government resources have been allocated to first evaluate and then up-grade the overall security posture of the United States. Similar to the security gaps identified in our airports, another area that was found severely lacking in security was U.S. port facilities, harbors, shipping, and dockside tourist attractions.
     As part of the process of tightening security on and near the water, and building on our existing programs, STTU was asked to develop a series of recommendations and programs for both law enforcement and military groups tasked with expanded maritime responsibilities. These requests were prompted by Lonsdale’s past experience in maritime diplomatic security operations in several countries, and extensive law enforcement diving experience – including underwater EOD searches and narcotic interdiction operations in the Port of Los Angeles.

TRAINING REQUESTS

  1. To develop outlines for threat assessment on maritime targets, ships and port facilities.
  2. To develop procedures for law enforcement dive teams tasked with underwater EOD search.
  3. To design training programs suited to non-military personnel tasked with maritime interdiction and tactical operations on or near water.
  4. To train military personnel in all facets of maritime interdiction, ship boarding and sub-surface operations.
  5. To develop advanced combat swimmer programs that will prepare qualified divers for surface and sub-surface vessel boarding operations.

INITIAL TEAM ASSESSMENT
     To develop a comprehensive and effective training program for a specific team, STTU has found that it is essential to first gain an appreciation for the operational needs and capabilities of the host team. This can only be done with first hand observation of the team’s current state of readiness and detailed discussions with team leaders and command staff concerning future operational requirements.

The initial assessment often includes:
• A review of the team’s current mission profiles
• A review of projected future mission requirements
• An evaluation of current team standards, members, equipment & assets
• An evaluation of current CQB and vessel boarding skills
• A discussion of anticipated training requirements
• A discussion of anticipated future equipment requirements

     With the above evaluation in hand, STTU is then able to advise the agency or team on all aspects of developing a realistic training program including time and costs, along with equipment procurement recommendations and training facility modifications.

PROPOSED TRAINING
     Even though each training program is custom designed to meet the operational and training needs of the host agency, STTU has already developed a phased progression for maritime operations and vessel interdiction training.
     The foundation of STTU’s approach to maritime operations is a Seven Phase training program designed to give a natural building-block progression for operational personnel who often have little or no prior maritime experience. This crawl, walk, run approach is also essential for safety reasons.
     Advanced weapons training, CQB and team tactics form the foundation for all tactical training, including ship assaults. These basic skills are then applied to boat-to-boat interdiction operations, surface and sub-surface operations, and helicopter air-assault operations. This is also a safety issue since professional tactical weapons and CQB training form the foundation of more advanced training and team drills.

Phase 1 – Tactical Weapons & CQB Training

Phase 2 – Water Safety Training & Tactical Drown-proofing

Phase 3 - Advanced Tactical Ship Board Training

Phase 4 –Surface Operations & Maritime Interdiction

Phase 5 – Diving & Sub-surface Operations – SCUBA

Phase 6 – Diving & Subsurface Operations - CCBA

Phase 7 – Air Supported Maritime Operations & C-SAR

For more details on specific training evolutions and subjects covered in each phase, requests should be made by authorized personnel on official agency letterhead or emailed to STTUHQ@aol.com