One of the more important skills that the US Navy and US Coast Guard teach is how to conduct an effective military Search and Seizure education. The US Navy has different situations that require knowing how to deal with different types of search and seizure. There is a new training program designed by the Navy to do just that. The Support Naval Norfolk Annex in Chesapeake, Virginia has started a pilot program that will train Navy personnel in Search and Seizure procedures.
The Navy was worked diligently to focus and design the VSS course to address the changes and make the overall Navy fleet responsive to the changes in the world today. With the new NCB VSS course the Navy seamen and sailors are able to train with in depth and comprehensive training materials, which will support their ongoing maritime boarding missions. Serving in the Navy on board a ocean going vessel often requires Servicemembers to engage vessels that are suspicious. Different Vessels that are unknown and suspicious are stopped by different US Navy vessels, and they have to be inspected. In that situation it is important to know how to board a vessel without having lives in danger. The course of study at the new revised VSS School is eight weeks in length, and trains personnel how to get control of a ship. The Teams of VSS search officers are being tasked to board vessels that are suspicious in nature and are suspected of harboring illegal aliens, hiding or harboring terrorists, or suspected of other illegal activity. The VSS program are not designed to deal with ships that are obviously hostile and refusing to be boarded, but sometimes ships that look and act friendly turn on the boarding party after they come aboard. These vessels could be hiding smugglers, terrorists and insurgents, or trafficking drugs. The new program is called the Non-Compliant Boarding Visit, Search and Seizure program. It is invaluable and gives the boarding personnel necessary skills to safeguard lives, as well as making sure than no property or equipment is put into jeopardy needlessly.Because of this it is vital for Servicemembers to know how to deal with different situations, and how to conduct a proper search and search and seizure procedures.
In the past, if the vessel appeared to be hostile or non-compliant then Navy special operations forces or SEAL team members were called in to do the job. The new course is eight weeks long and gives Navy personnel training on how to deal with situations that turn hostile toward the boarding party after they come on board the vessel.
I’m not sure how old this post is, so forgive me if it’s been corrected. It’s not a “VSS” course. It’s NCB – VBSS, Visit, BOARD, Search and Seizure. I know because I used to teach the old version (before the NCB) and went through (although it was over 6 years ago) the “new” course.
V/R,
Brad
STGCS(SW)(RET)