PORT DE PECHE, Djibouti — Soldiers with the Florida Army National Guard’s Company A, 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, have been working with Navy and Coast Guard members from Coastal Riverine Squadron 8 to provide port security here.
Providing security for any mission is often a multi-faceted endeavor and the Soldiers with Company A bring a different mission set that enhances force protection for CRS-8, said Coast Guard Lt. Emily H. Brockway, the anti-terrorism officer with the riverine squadron.
“To get to this port and launch our [boats], we need the Army,” said Brockway. “This is a working fishing port, so [Company A] can’t shut down the port entirely, but they screen people as they come in and make sure no suspicious vehicles enter or block our vehicles.”
Company A provides convoy security, entry control point security and a roving security patrol for CRS-8 to ensure the squadron members are able to perform their maritime mission.
“We come out here and make sure there is nothing suspicious that might impede the mission,” said Staff Sgt. Abel Baez, with Company A. “Our job is to make sure they can do their job.”
By providing land-based force protection, the Soldiers allow those with CRS-8 to concentrate on providing security from he water for vessels arriving to the port.
“Our job is to do what they do out in the water, but on land,” said Baez. “In order for them to go out into the water, they need our assistance.”
Among other mission sets, CRS-8 provides water-based force protection for U.S Navy vessels that arrive at the port in support of larger missions in Europe and Africa.
If the service members of CRS-8 don’t have their boats in the water, then those ships cannot come to port, said Brockway, adding that the port is also a major destination for international shipping lines and connects Asia, Africa and Europe.
Both the Army and the Navy have been working hard to ensure the ships are safe, said Brockway.
The two units have been working together on the port mission since May, when Company A replaced Soldiers from a sister unit.
“I thought it was going to be a rough transfer because the last unit that went home was really great,” said Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Sean P. Cox, the senior enlisted leader with CRS-8. “But, these guys have been awesome.”
The partnership also resulted in cost savings when an officer with Company A reconfigured land-based security elements, said Brockway.
“His plan included removing unnecessary shipping containers, which ends up saving the Navy about $58,000 annually,” she said, adding it’s all part of working together to accomplish the mission.