Fort Hood Shooting

Controlled F.O.R.C.E. Reacts to

Fort Hood Shooting

06 November 2009

From Executive Director Tony Grano

In light of the recent massacre at Fort Hood, Controlled F.O.R.C.E. would like to extend our sympathy and prayers to the family, friends, and colleagues of the slain and injured soldiers. We also express our gratitude to all U.S. Servicemembers, active and non-active duty, that have given so much to defend our country. Controlled F.O.R.C.E. has had the distinct honor of providing pre- and post-deployment close range subject control training to many U.S. Servicemembers over the course of our 12 year history.

In February 2003, members of the Provost Marshal’s Office (PMO) at Fort Hood completed the Controlled F.O.R.C.E. Level 1 & 2 Departmental Instructor Course hosted by the Round Rock Police Department in Round Rock, Texas. I personally taught this course, which included members of the Fort Hood PMO Special Reaction Team (SRT).

While it is unlikely that any of these PMOs were on-hand to respond to this incident, situations like this tend to hit home the realities of what our Servicemembers face when you have personal attachments to the tragedy.

These situations should also snap us out of the complacent mindset that “this will never happen here,” so we don’t need to prepare for the worst. Columbine, Virginia Tech, NIU, Binghamton, Fort Hood; the list goes on. These are all stark reminders that the worst does happen, and it can happen anywhere, and it will happen again.

As Executive Director of Controlled F.O.R.C.E., quite frankly I am tired of getting the call to “help us prepare for the worst” after the worst has already happened. Let us look at this incident as what can and will realistically happen in our schools, houses of worship, shopping malls, and military bases.

Fewer U.S. Servicemembers are bearing the brunt of greater emotional stress in the complexities of the modern battlefield. Myself and my team have trained many of the elite forces of our military, and can say that these men and women are fit for the challenge. We are beginning to see, however, the toll that extended and multiple deployments can take.

After learning of the Fort Hood shooting while I was at Fort Bragg (in North Carolina), I had my staff check the records from the 2003 training and pull up the After Action Reports, or course evaluations. Some of the comments from the PMOs regarding the Controlled F.O.R.C.E. close range subject control system were:

-- "Excellent. This has been the best one [compared to other training courses]”

-- "I’ve learned more than I’ve learned in any hand-to-hand combat school I’ve attended since I’ve been in the military”

-- “I think [theses concepts] could save my life in a dangerous confrontation”

-- “Already trying to recommend the course”

-- “[The techniques] are designed to end a confrontation and not add to it”

I have travelled all across the country helping Servicemembers, SRT, SWAT, and Law Enforcement Officers build confidence in their ability to safely and decisively gain control of a hostile situation. It is regrettable that anyone lost their life at Fort Hood, let alone 13 Servicemembers. Let us take this tragedy as a call to action to be more proactive in our efforts to better respond to active shooter incidents and mitigate the loss of life. Let us confront complacency in preparation, because next time “never here” just might be where we least expect it.