Ten members of Y-12 Protective Force graduate from tactical response training

 

Ten members of the Y-12 National Security Complex Protective Force graduated from the Central Training Facility’s Tactical Response Force 200, or TRF‑200.

This was the first course held at Y-12 in recent years, Y-12 said in December.

Y-12 said the training is intense and specific. Graduates prove they have the skills to execute operations that include recapture/recover and pursuit in order to support any interruption within the U.S. Department of Energy environment.

“Graduating from this training takes dedication,” said Eric Belcher, director of Y‑12 Protective Force. “The class members worked their way through a series of tests and evaluations to participate in the course. Training involved intense physical and mental evaluations along with a requirement to demonstrate the potential to complete a four‑week intense program. Once in the course, they endured a grueling full‑day schedule of training.”

The graduates, who are now members of the special response team, displayed marksmanship skills, battle techniques, mechanical and ballistic breaching techniques, and other defense‑related skills. They applied their skills in live‑fire exercises and force‑on‑force scenarios under day and night conditions, Y-12 said.

“This class is special; it is the first to attend training at the CTF, but it won’t be the last,” Y-12 said. “The plan is to conduct one course per year. Previously, to obtain the qualification, Protective Force members traveled to the National Training Center to participate in SRT training.”

Tactical Operations Manager Neal Wolfenbarger said, “The cadre at our Central Training Facility has worked tirelessly to prepare for and conduct this class.”

Teamwork isn’t new to Protective Force members, especially when coming from a military or law enforcement background.

Wolfenbarger said: “Each of these men have demonstrated the spirit of performance excellence by successfully completing the long road to becoming an SRT member. They understand the importance of teamwork, overcame adversity, made adjustments to achieve success, and most importantly, understand the critical nature of mission success.”

SRT graduate Matt Sexton said: “If one person doesn’t pull his or her weight, the mission fails. This idea is in our daily operations. We’re required as a team to be good communicators and have a commitment to a common goal; both of these are the cornerstones of teamwork.”

Kris Sutton tied teamwork more directly to mission work. “You have to trust your fellow teammates to have each other’s backs,” he said. “You also have to understand each shift worker’s positions to ensure mission success.”

Y-12 said the dedicated members of the SRT have set high standards and have a desire to protect the mission. “SRT is something I have wanted to do for a few years now,” Brandon Lambert, another graduate of the program, said. “It was a good feeling of accomplishment. It was also good to see how a group of guys from different backgrounds can come together as a team and accomplish challenging tasks.”

That teamwork mindset is something all Consolidated Nuclear Security employees should have, Y-12 said. CNS manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas.

ProForce member and graduate Brandon Stockwell said: “Everyone must know their job and be proactive. I think everyone at the site has a sense of duty to our country and wants to be part of Y‑12’s success. I feel proud to be a part of this team and to be around others with the same motivation and drive.”

More information will be added as it becomes available.

---

Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2017 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.