SAGAMIHARA, KANAGAWA, Japan –
U.S. Army military police (MP) with the 382nd Military Police Detachment and 422nd Military Police Company, both with 96th Military Police Battalion, 11th Military Police Brigade, flew halfway across the globe this December to support Yama Sakura 87, an annual trilateral training exercise involving U.S. Joint Forces, the Japan Self-Defense Force and the Australian Defence Force.
Members of the MPs provided law and order and security for the military service members training on Sagami General Depot, a U.S. Army post located in the city of Sagamihara, Japan. They deployed not only to support this exercise, but also to validate their own unit’s capabilities and prepare for future deployments.
“Building cohesiveness with a local force is truly a great task,” said 1st Sgt. Brian Reaber, a military police officer assigned to the 422nd MP Company. “Our primary job is going out into the field and doing missions that require training other entities, such as local governments or countries. Right now, we are working the roads as a law enforcement entity; it’s our first mission for future potential deployment going overseas.”
Reaber filled the role of provost sergeant during this exercise, the overall senior enlisted advisor to the commander and provost marshal. As a first sergeant, Reaber is also responsible for the overall training of the company.
The MPs conducted patrols and other related law enforcement duties while collaborating with gate guards, local nationals, Japanese contractors and the Japanese National Police during the Yama Sakura 87 exercise, said Reaber.
According to Sgt. Austin Thom, a military police officer assigned to the 382nd MP Detachment, MPs at Sagami General Depot worked with the Japanese National Police (JNP) to investigate a traffic collision that took place just outside the front gate. He found the JNP to be very thorough and well trained.
“Community relations is a very big thing - understanding the people you are working with,” said Spc. Bailey Rethaber, a military police officer assigned to the 422nd MP Company. “Not only military members, but (also) civilians.”
On patrol, MPs regularly return baseballs, softballs, soccer balls that have been hit over base fences to local national children playing sports at a bordering community park.
“It feels good to not always be in the headspace of: ‘I’m just here for law and order’ but helping the community in standard ways with anything they need is really nice,” said Rethaber.
According to Captain Alexander Lopez, the commander of the 422nd MP Company, in-country MPs from the 88th and 901st Military Police Detachments brought stun gun training, military working dog handling training and upcoming oleoresin capsicum (also known as pepper) spray training to the MPs stationed at Sagami General Depot. Training in Japan is a great opportunity because it allows the MPs experience working with local nationals in an area different from the United States.
Spc. Samiya Soutien, a military working dog handler assigned to the 901st MP Detachment, and her military working dog Malna, a Belgian Malinois, conducted a controlled drug and explosives detection exercise on several vehicles at Sagami General Depot.
“Canines can be utilized for multiple things… (Such as) either patrol or detention. We have two different types of canines: explosives or drugs,” said Spc. Soutien. “We are also tracker certified with our dogs, so we can do tracking, scouting and building searches.”
Regularly training military working dogs for explosive hazard detection in different environments is key to prepare them for explosive detection, as repeated training in similar environments may train them to only search for specific stimuli. Because of this, training in as many new environments as possible leads to a higher hazard detection success rate.
“Doing this exercise builds a whole new understanding of how to do law enforcement in a whole different environment,” said Lopez. “Especially when it’s not your country of origin, it gives you an understanding of what the community relies on and what they believe is right or wrong. Being able to respect other people's customs and courtesies, as well as making sure you do your job and enforce the law and keep order, is extremely important.”
Spc. Christopher Herrera, a military police officer assigned to the 382nd MP Detachment, has been able to meet people from different backgrounds here in Japan. The level of respect and politeness the local nationals had for everyone around them was different from what he’s experienced in the states.
“You’re on an American base, in a foreign country,” said Herrera. “We have to understand that there is a different set of laws and agreements between the two countries and they have to be observed in a certain way while you’re on assignment here on the base, and also when you’re off duty, outside the base.”
From going on patrols, conducting military police training, and interacting with both military members and civilian entities, military police at Sagami Depot have earned respect and trust in the community, which is the foundation of establishing law and order.
“Our role is to build a sustainable bond between us and the Japanese,” said Reaber. “We want to make sure that we have good connections and leadership today and maintain connections in the future.”