Seabees concluded a week-long detachment site security exercise on board Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Mississippi on January 26, 2017.

During the exercise, Sailors assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 focused on adequately securing a site to facilitate mobility and sustainment for the area of operations in preparation for an upcoming Field Training Exercise (FTX).

The exercise trains Sailors on security operations for establishing a detachment site.

"Practicing these security drills as a full bridge detachment is essential before we get out to the field," said Chief Builder Jamie Kline, from Tipton, Iowa. "We are learning how to properly and effectively secure a site for move in, and prepare it for building operations, then proceeding with the building operations for the bridge."

According to Lt. Justin Chambers, detachment commander, a detachment site can become more vulnerable to enemy contact while in transit, than stationary in one location. It is vital to rehearse these exercises, so the Sailors learn how to move in and occupy a site effectively. This training ensures the detachment is prepared to operate on their own, and it is a significant milestone to achieve before going out to the battalion's upcoming FTX.

Cycling through site security training drills provides junior Sailors that have never completed these types of operations, a chance to understand the process better.

"This training gives me a better insight on how to operate in a field environment for security," said Steelworker Constructionman Kaeleigh Elhert, from Oxford, Wisconsin. "I am learning hands-on, and getting to see it first hand, versus sitting in a classroom or waiting to move through these actions on the FTX for the first time without as much experience as I could have from training environments."

NMCB 1 is a Seabee battalion that specializes in contingency construction, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance. The battalion's homeport is in the Gulfport, Mississippi. The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime strategy. It offers deployable battalions capable of rapidly providing contingency construction, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, and combat operations support.

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