Planning Your Drills & Exercises

The success of your drill or exercise depends largely on how well you plan it. The first step is to decide what you will test. Remember that Drills test individual elements of your FSP, while Exercises are a full test of the security program and must include substantial and active participation of FSOs.

This leaves us to choose the single FSP element to focus on for our Drill. There are many options, but where can we find them? Your menu of FSP elements is located in 33 CFR 105’s table of contents. For example there are 18 elements listed in Subpart B (plus four additional elements for specially designated facilities.) Each one of these elements can serve as the basis for your Drill.

The second step is to develop a scenario. Here’s where you can get creative. Think of a simple situation that will test the individual FSP element. Be careful not to overcomplicate things! For examples of Drill scenarios, look to the monthly Drill reminders that Seebald & Associates provide to our Platinum members.

The scenario for an Exercise is often more complicated than a Drill, as we’re testing the entire FSP. Remember, the exercise must have a security focus and the FSO must substantially and actively participate. Each exercise must test communication and notification procedures, and elements of coordination, resource availability, and response. In many cases, the Exercise is a series of scenarios or events. If you are plugged into your local AMSC, there may be opportunities to participate in area or regional exercises for credit.

The third step is to decide who will be tested. This can include your Alternate FSO(s), Personnel with Security Duties, and All Other personnel. As we do with the S&A monthly Drill reminders for Platinum members, develop a series of questions to ask beforehand to help guide the Drill or Exercise. Here’s a hint: Refer to the specific section of your FSP for the element tested to develop poignant questions.

If you have a vessel moored at your facility, you can ask the Master or VSO if they’d like to participate in your Drill or Exercise. Similar to maritime facilities, vessels also have Drill & Exercise requirements.

Next week we’ll explore how to conduct your Drills & Exercises…