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Learning Tactics To Dissuade Or Disable
by U.S.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Nicholas Lubchenko
November 1, 2018
“This is the United States Coast Guard, stop your vessel or you
will be fired upon,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas Dziama
over the radio as he pulled beside a boat attempting to outmaneuver
him and enter a security zone. The vessel posing imminent threat
continued on its course into the zone prompting Dziama to instruct
his bow gunner to fire a warning shot ahead of the vessel.
When this did not deter the threat, Dziama pulled up beside the
vessel and gave the order to disable the boat. The bow gunner fired
multiple times, and the boat slowed to a stop.
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August 23, 2018 - Students
participating in the Tactical Coxswain Course close in on an
opposing force’s vessel. The students learned and
implemented new skills to dissuade or disable potential
threats from harming the high value vessel. (U.S. Marine
Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Nicholas Lubchenko)
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Dziama had successfully prevented the enemy boat from attacking
the high value vessel inside the security zone by implementing the
four steps taught at the Tactical Coxswain Course on Marine Corps
Base Camp Lejeune during August 2018.
The Tactical Coxswain
Course teaches students how to use their authority, vessel and
weapons to protect what they are guarding.
“We teach the
students how to enforce a stationary and moving security zone, which
are used to protect naval vessels, cruise ships, waterfront
infrastructure and limited access areas,” said Chief Petty Officer
Chase Ryan, course chief.
The instructors used fake
improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and
pistols while trying to outmaneuver the students to expose them to a
wide variety of threats.
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August 23, 2018 - A simulated
improvised explosive device is thrown at the students
participating in the Tactical Coxswain Course from an
opposing force’s vessel posing imminent threat that is
entering a security zone surrounding a high value vessel on
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by
Lance Cpl. Nicholas Lubchenko)
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“The opposing forces, played by our instructors, attempt to enter
the security zone, and the job of the students, acting as screen
boats, is to employ tactics to dissuade or disable the vessel,” said
Ryan.
The students were also taught what to do in the event a
vessel outmaneuvers them.
“We learned what to do when we are
beat and how having a multi-boat setup can help us,” said Petty
Officer 3rd Class Logan Pickavance, a student of the course. “If the
instructor got by us we would call to the other screen boats that we
had been beaten so that they could stop them.”
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August 23, 2018 - U.S. Coast
Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas Dziama, a student
participating in the Tactical Coxswain Course, subdues a
potential vessel posing imminent threat while acting as a
bow gunner on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The course
offered the students an opportunity to learn new skills
while being exposed to a variety of potential threats
including fake improvised explosive devises,
rocket-propelled grenade launchers and pistols. (U.S. Marine
Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Nicholas Lubchenko)
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During the two week course, the students will spend approximately
35 hours on the water 17 of which are at night.
“This is good
experience for them,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Dawkins,
instructor. “Here they can push the boats and themselves to the
limits so they can learn. We have seen pretty steady improvement
throughout the course.”
Camp Lejeune is the only location in
which the Tactical Coxswain Course is offered for the Coast Guard.
“We support the entire Coast Guard from this unit,” said Ryan.
“Our instructors do a great job making the students the best that
they can be before they go back to their units to be certified. In
the end, we are here to enable the Coast Guard to complete its
mission.”
Coast
Guard Gifts |
Coast Guard
| U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
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