Sailors at the Center for Security Forces (CENSECFOR) Det. North Island hosted more than 60 executive leaders within the Department of Defense, Jan. 13, as part of the DOD's Executive Leadership Development Program.

The purpose and intent of the program is to expand the knowledge, skills, and experiences of future leaders within the armed forces by giving each a greater understanding of different components within the DoD.

"I firmly believe we provide the best training in the Navy," said Cmdr. Bennet Goff, CENSECFOR Det. North Island officer-in-charge. "It is fantastic to give these leaders a snapshot of how essential Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape (SERE) training is to the warfighter."

As participants settled in their seats, a fictional paramilitary group stormed the classroom. The participants were both held hostage and interrogated for the next half an hour. Thereafter the scenario ended with the captors revealing their identity to welcome the group to SERE school.

For the remainder of their visit, participants got a glimpse of the uniqueness of SERE training. The topics presented included how to survive in a captivity situation, as well as the origin of SERE school and the psychology of SERE training.

"The training was spectacular, and it really made the online SERE course come to life," said Vanessa Glascoe, ELDP program manager.

The day concluded with retired Marine Col. Clifford Acree serving as guest speaker. Acree shared his personal testimony about his experiences as a prisoner of war in Iraq during the first Gulf War.

The mission statement adopted by Det. North Island is to "Train the Best for the Worst." The staff of 108 military and civilian personnel provides training to more than 1,300 students annually.

CENSECFOR provides specialized training to more than 28,000 students each year. It has 14 training locations across the United States and around the world where training breeds confidence.

For more information about the Center for Security Forces, visit us at http://www.navy.mil/local/csf.

For more news from the Center for Security Forces, visit us at www.navy.mil.

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