RINGGOLD, Ga., - More than 20 local, state and federal officers from departments and agencies across Georgia are taking part in the five-day woodland training course held by the Georgia Counterdrug Task Force (GaCDTF) and taught by Georgia Army Guardsmen, who make up the task forces' ground reconnaissance teams.
While some of the participating officers are prior military, most are not, Guard officials said. This is the first time many have worked together or worked with the task force.
Training includes land navigation, movement as a tactical team, patrol and reconnaissance operations, team development, and the use of cover and concealment done in what the military calls the "crawl, walk and run" phases.
"We start slow and build-up until they're running their own missions with our people standing by to answer questions," said one course instructor. Because of the nature of their work, instructors and many of the officers cannot be identified by name or department.
The training's main emphasis, according to another instructor, is the art of military mission planning. "Many civilian law enforcement agencies use a 'plan in the van' mentality because many of the operations they do are short notice," he explained. "What we do is give them the tools to do that planning - even on the fly - better."
The Woodland Training Course has been in operation for 13 years. The concept was fostered by now retired Georgia Army Guard Sgt. Maj., and retired Gordon County Police Chief, Therrell Goswick, who was a founding member of the counterdrug task force, then known as the Governor's Strike Force.