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- Apr 25, 2018
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This is a parking permit I kept for a souvenir from the Bush-43 address to a joint session of congress. I was with CBIRF and we had a close and personal seat. Biden will be doing his soon and surely the security will be up to the task. I would have liked to have seen the place locked down by Marines yesterday. Marines that are just down the street actually and have a primary mission of defending the capital and not just the capitol. Defend like the Battle of Bladensburg type stuff. I was part of the medical planning for both the inauguration and address to the joint session which included exhaustive meetings and exercises. Being in the middle of all that history and military and law enforcement muscle was cool as heck and a thrill of a lifetime.I can't help but wonder how different this may have been handled if this building (and its occupants) were guarded by Marine Security Forces.
The Capital is not an Embassy. Civilian Police Officers have different missions than Military units. I presume that the rules of engagement are different. Weapons, tactics, and training are similar but ultimately different. "Optics" are different.
But... as a member of the MSG for 3-years, I can tell you we trained for these scenarios routinely. We educated, drilled, inspected and grilled our unit members in the rules of engagement, legal issues, and anticipated scenarios. After Action Reports were conducted and improvements made.
Physical barriers, less-than-lethal options, dogs, multi-levels of security, and strongly understood rules of engagement were all a key part of the mission plan.
I hope that this will be the last time mobs infiltrate the seat of our government. But I pray that those in-charge of security take the time to truly dissect what happened and where improvements can be made.
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