An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

News | Jan. 31, 2008

Virginian troops train Kuwaiti National Guardsmen

By Spc. Jason C. Kemp 3rd Bn., 116th Inf. Regt., 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment

Kuwaiti National Guardsmen practice riot control during training. (U.S. Army photo)
Kuwaiti National Guardsmen practice riot control during training. (U.S. Army photo)

KUWAIT CITY (Jan. 21, 2008) - Training is not anything new to Soldiers. It’s something they do almost everyday, but when you are training a whole other army, that’s totally different than your average grenade throwing, rifle marksmanship, driving your Humvee day.

Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 166th Infantry Regiment, Virginia Army National Guard is working with Military Professional Resources Inc. to train the 7,000 members of the Kuwait National Guard on the latest soldier tactical skills.

Using riot control tactics, less lethal munitions, pressure holds and the latest vehicle search tactics, MPRI and National Guard Soldiers are making sure the KNG have the experience and training they need to combat terrorism in Kuwait.

Guarding gates and vehicle inspection is one of the most important jobs on an

installation. According to 1st Lt. Jude C. Lau, 1st Platoon leader, Company F, learning procedures like entry control points allows the Kuwaitis to get a good prospective on how important it for everyone from the officer in charge down to the lowest ranking personnel.

“It’s a good experience,” said Sgt. Anthony R. Tippins, a team leader in 1st Platoon. “You get to learn one end and see what your counterparts know and they get to see what you know as well.

”The Kuwaiti’s are pretty adept at what they have been training on with MPRI and with the 3-116th,” he said.

Helping MPRI teach the Kuwaitis tactical skills not only helps give the battalion National Guard Soldiers extra training, but also builds upon the already growing relationship between the U.S. military and the Kuwaiti forces. This training builds future opportunities to train together to defeat terrorist threats both in Kuwait and abroad.