After Sept. 11, 2001, fighting terrorism has become a top priority for the Pentagon. Some of the changes in U.S. Army training concerning weapons of mass destruction, interrogation and survival are indicative of an Army preparing to deal with terror.
Online Training
U.S. servicemen and women, along with their families who are deployed overseas, are required to take online training regarding personal safety measures to reduce their vulnerability to terrorism. The basic level of this anti-terrorism course takes an hour and is done annually.
Weapons of Mass Destruction Training
The Army trains soldiers, their dependent civilians and first responders to recognize the symptoms of a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) attack, to spot the devices that activate WMDs, and the proper ways to notify authorities in the event of such an emergency.
Survival
American serviceman in Iraq and Afghanistan run the risk of having to avoid terrorists or having to survive if caught by terrorists. Survival training teaches warriors how to live if hiding in the wild, and how to survive interrogation techniques that terrorists might employ.
Increase in Interrogation Training
Terrorists can use the element of surprise to make their attacks effective. Gaining valuable information from the interrogation of terrorists can take away that advantage. In hopes of gaining intelligence to save lives, the Army has increased the number of interrogators it trains and contracted out some of the training to private firms.
Joint Training
The U.S. Army can not be everywhere, so when possible, it trains the armies of other nations in counter-terrorism tactics. For example, American, Dutch and Spanish troops participated in Operation Flintlock, which involved facilitating counter-terrorism exercises for west African nations.
