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The Strike Report - June 2011
“America is much more than a geographical fact. It is a political and moral fact - the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality." ~ Adlai Stevenson
CONVERGENCE AT THE TIP OF THE VORTEX! Understanding where we are operationally in the law enforcement and military world as it pertains to crime and war!
In 2006, at the invitation of Sgt. Bob Newton of the Dallas Police Department's Special Operation Division, I conducted classes at the 1st Annual 2006 - DPD SWAT Conference, on Combat Mindset and Team Leadership. One of the slides in the presentation stated the following:
Make no mistake. Just because we have killed Bin Laden and turned his sorry body into fish food, doesn't mean that things have changed. The war on terrorism continues and the threats remain as real as they ever were. In fact, if the truth were known...I imagine they are planning a sensational payback and I fear it will be much like the Mumbai attack that occurred in India. I am talking about multiple heavily armed groups piling out of vans and hitting soft targets like - schools / shopping centers / hospitals / mega-churches / and hotels. These will be coordinated one-way missions and their sole purpose will be to inflict as much pain and chaos as they can. When, and if, it happens, it will be the first responders of American law enforcement meeting the threat head on, trying to contain it, trying to minimize the killing, and holding the ground until enough reinforcements and firepower can overwhelm, and neutralize the threat.
This is going to require agencies to plan for a worse case scenario in order to take on a challenge like this. It means developing operational plans that include mutual support pacts between agencies from federal, state, county, and municipal, as well as tapping into local military units that can provide certain resources and logistical support. An attack on the scale that I have mentioned above will need this combined effort to stop it and minimize the damage they can do.
To reaffirm what I just said, there is an article that came out this month in the Spring-2011, edition of the Tactical Edge magazine titled, "Convergence: The Blurring of Crime and War" written by John Alexander, Ph.D., retired US Army Colonel, and Lt. Mark Alexander - Special Operations Div. of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
These guys confirm what I stated in the 2006 school, but they did a much better job in their informational presentation because it is based off of a 2010 study conducted by the Joint Special Operations University at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The study was titled, "Convergence: Special Operations Forces and Civilian Law Enforcement." I commend them for getting this information out to everyone and I encourage all of you to take the time to review it, especially those commander and personnel involved in operational planning for their agency.
The war on terrorism and fighting insidious drug cartel gangs from Mexico has both changed and merged the way US LE and military personnel are required to conduct their operations in the real world. As you can see above in the photos, when it comes to equipment and tactical training it is hard to distinguish them apart. ROE's (Rules of Engagement) are different but even this line is becoming more blurred because of world condemnation on civilian casualties thus causing the military to be more operationally responsible when it comes to the possibility of collateral damage. Additionally, you see the military assuming a police role once an area has been secured and infrastructure is being rebuilt. The greatest burden seems to fall on SOF ops and this was pointed out by the Joint Special Operations study that was conducted.
The reverse is true for US LE - SWAT / SRT teams. The relationship between US LE and civilians has always shown a higher expectation and standard for use of force policies. However, operations for US LE have changed because of the accessibility of more powerful weapons by criminals and terrorists including the use of body armor, and even their tactics. You now see most US LE agencies understanding the need to meet and take on these types of criminals and terrorist organizations by utilizing better equipment and employing better team tactics. A vast number of LE agencies have acquired tactical patrol rifles for their personnel and have the ancillary equipment needed to go with it. Training is starting to take on a much more serious tone.
In May's Strike Report - "The Warrior's Heart," I again, briefly weigh into convergence with this statement, "We who are in law enforcement operate under different standards and expectations than those of our brethren who serve, and operate in the tactical arena of military warfare. But the lines do merge. They merge at the point of the vortex where personal life is threatened, where extreme violence of action is required to rectify and neutralize the threat, and it is at this point where having a warrior's heart becomes everything!"
To further illustrate this point on convergence, I will share a couple of statements made in the Tactical Edge article. To begin with, keep in mind what fighting world terrorism and Islamic extremism in particular, has done to change our way of life, and our approach from a military / US LE way of thinking and reacting. As stated in the article, "For many decades the roles and missions of the US military were viewed separate and distinctive from those of civilian law enforcement. However, in the past few years, this view has changed rather dramatically."
An attack in the United States again on the scale of the Mumbai incident or the tragedy in Beslan, Russia where so many children were murdered by Muslim terrorists, would have a catastrophic effect on our Nation. As stated in the article, "Planning that includes only command and control elements will be insufficient. The potential for such a situation occurring in the US suggests that extensive coordination is required between the military and civilian law enforcement agencies." Operational planning for such an event should be a priority by agencies. Working out mutual support agreements and coordinating with local military units can help to achieve a responsible and winning mission plan.
The convergence, the blurring of these lines between military and law enforcement, can have substantial ramifications but that is where we are at in the real world. You have essentially two different organizations operating in different disciplines but they do merge and merge most pointedly at the tip of the vortex!
Again, I encourage all of my SI trained instructors to get their hands both on the Tactical Edge article and the study conducted by the Joint Special Operations University at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
Reference Sources: Joint Special Operations University Tactical Edge Magazine - published by National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) Strike International
By:
Jack C. Perritt Executive Director Strike International (903) 396-7698
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