ONE FORCE
Building a recognized standard of training across the force response spectrum
8th Annual U.S.N.S.T.A. National Training Conference -- Rio Las Vegas -- December 10-14, ‘07

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Justification for a National Standard of Training

Why does there need to be a standard of training within sectors as well as across sectors?

Through years of extensive training and research in law enforcement, corrections, military, and security sectors, the U.S.N.S.T.A. development team has discovered an overwhelming need for a national standard of training. The ability to deliver a standardized system for transferring knowledge and skill is essential to developing forces that are well prepared for threats within their operating environments.

Time and money are two constant factors in the decision-making process for training. Working toward a standard of training, all forces can mitigate the limitations of time and money by establishing a common skills base from which to build task-specific skills sets. A standard of training also instills consistency and accuracy throughout instructor cadre, which results in less time wasted on non-essential content and more time developing necessary skills.

Standardization Within Sectors

Forces that operate “down-range” together need consistency in training. What sense does it make for Marine Corps MPs and Army MPs to utilize different training methods and tactics even though they both handle and transport detainees in hostile environments? The same question applies to patrol deputies and jail deputies, or adult detention and juvenile detention, or site security and protective services detail, and so on. A standard of training establishes a framework of skills that stays the same in all applications, which creates higher retention and efficiency and is more conducive to working together as team.

The worlds of law enforcement and military often overlap. Many military personnel pursue careers in law enforcement and corrections, and many law enforcement and correctional officers maintain reserve duty status within the military. When world events determine a need for our nation’s reservists to be activated, many law enforcement and correctional officers find themselves working side-by-side with military personnel in a full-time capacity. This system of cross-performance perpetuates the need for a standard of training as operators with differing use of force capabilities assimilate into new operational environments.

Standardization Across Sectors

All operatives have a basic need to be able to “lay hands” on a subject and control themselves and their environment. Through THE ZONE scenario-based environment control training module and its forerunner, The Gauntlet, the U.S.N.S.T.A. has found that all force response operatives have the same basic training needs and face the same breakdowns in situational control when performing under stress. By manipulating stress factors within a training environment, THE ZONE enables the U.S.N.S.T.A. instructor cadre to determine failure points of an individual’s response and identify trends that appear across the board. With this data, the U.S.N.S.T.A. can build and modify a force response program that develops a common skills base for handling threats within the operational environment and addresses the need for effective manual subject control with force escalation options.

Law enforcement, corrections, military, and security sectors all have the same inherent challenges to overcome in procuring and delivering training. These challenges include the lack of time and money allotted for training, and the difficulties of delivering training content to a student base with varying levels of skill, experience, and motivation. Standardized training helps professionals overcome these challenges by giving them a framework in which to work that has been put to the test in a wide variety of conditions and environments and has been proven to develop the basic skills that all operators need to succeed.

At the end of the day, all of these operators have the same goal: to do a good job and to make it home safe.

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U.S.N.S.T.A. "Building One Force"                                                                                                           Copyright 2008 U.S.N.S.T.A.