Chief Military Police Corps Regiment and Commandant. United States Military Police School

Military Police, Oct, 2004 by Rodney L. Johnson

As the new Chief of the Military Police Corps Regiment and Commandant, United States Army Military Police School, I am extremely excited and deeply honored and humbled. I have been a member of the Regiment for almost 27 years and am well aware of the critical responsibilities that go with these titles. I am committed to getting the job done right and taking care of soldiers and families.

Although I have been on the job less than 90 days, it is clear to me that my mission is to take a great Regiment that is already performing superbly throughout the world and do whatever I can to make it even better.

We are an Army at war in support of a nation at war, and the priorities of the Military Police School remain constant. Number 1, we will continue to support our military police warriors in the field. Whether it be subject matter experts, military training teams, train-the-trainer efforts, training support packets, or just reach-back capabilities for doctrine/information, we will remain engaged on a daily basis, I urge commanders in the field to use the home of the Military Police Corps Regiment as a resource.

Number 2, we will continue to provide the best possible training in one-station unit training and the Military Police Officers Basic Course to ensure that units in the field receive the most highly trained military police possible. We understand that these great young soldiers will most often find themselves quickly deployed, and the focus of every day in training is to get them ready. As part of the process, we are constantly upgrading the training, based on lessons learned from units in the field. The days are gone when we could afford to slog our way through a one- to two-year process to make changes to training programs. Soldiers' lives depend on these lessons learned, and we are constantly updating and modifying our programs of instruction to remain relevant.

As we all get ready to celebrate the 63rd Anniversary of the Military Police Corps, it is important to reflect on how far we have come as a Regiment. A number of us can remember the early '80s, when the demise of the Corps and its replacement by "rent-a-cops" were predicted. In fact, many of us were even advised to change branches. What a contrast with today. The Army as an entity clearly recognizes the unique skills and capabilities the Military Police Corps Regiment brings to the table, and commanders in the field are constantly screaming for more military police. We are almost a victim of our own success. As our soldiers perform superbly at war, in deployments, and at installations around the world, the demand for military police soldiers increases. Yes, I know you are all very busy. The good news is that additional force structure is on the way. The motto for this year's anniversary is "Growing to Meet Our Global Mission," and it is a fact. We will stand up several new units in the next few months, and the approved force structure increases take the Regiment from the current strength of 38,000 to more than 62,000 in the near term. That's great news--now we just have to assess and train them!

As always, our military police soldiers throughout the world continue to set the standard and amaze leaders of every rank. I'm not sure exactly how we grow these kinds of warriors, but I ask you to keep it up. I recently had the opportunity to visit our soldiers in Iraq and could not have been more impressed. It is a tough operating environment, and our Active Army and Reserve Component soldiers and their leaders were at the top of their game as they skillfully planned missions, reacted to enemy contact, conducted training for the Iraqi police and highway patrol, and sorted through the complexity of fighting against an insurgency in an urban environment. They are tremendous warriors with unbelievable courage and dedication. The phrase "On Point for the Nation" clearly applies to the Military Police Corps Regiment of today more than to any other branch in the Army.

As Chief of the Military Police Corps Regiment. I believe my one clear imperative is to understand the real issues and challenges. As such, my goal in the next two years is to get out to every location where we have military police soldiers deployed or stationed and clarify and define those issues on-site. I look forward to working with each of you as we continue to take this Regiment to new levels.