Elite Security Forces Begin Training Exercise In Tulsa

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A Green Country shooting academy is hosting and training members of elite security forces this week.

The U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa is holding a ten-day course that focuses on the fine art of private security.

The facility was designed to be one of the premier facilities of its kind in the country and U.S. Shooting Academy officials say exercises like this are proof that it has achieved that status.

One scenario in the training is a situation that seems ripped from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel. A dignitary's car runs into trouble in a hostile area. The security team gets the vehicle out of harm's way, transfers the official into another car and takes off.

"They'll have a very good understanding of what it needs, what it takes to do this job," said Chad Warren, U.S. Shooting Academy.

Chad Warren and the U.S. Shooting Academy are running the training course. It focuses on personal security detail and Warren says they are scenarios that professionals encounter in Iraq, Afghanistan or other hot spots.

The exercises have attracted forces from as far away as Greece and the United Kingdom.

"We do things a bit differently in the UK. Here things are done differently. So it's just combining skills and experts in this field from both countries," said Sulmen Robert, Robert Security.

Sunday's drills were repeated often and every detail of the team's performance was meticulously analyzed.

In one drill, a car breaks down, has to be rammed, and then literally pushed through the danger zone. The official, or in this case reporter, is thrown into the car and whisked away to safety.

"It's all about a matter of life and death here. It's all about training. Training gets you there, training gets you home," said Sulmen Robert, Robert Security.

It's training the academy hopes the men never have to use, but says could make the difference in a dangerous situation.

"Like we always say, training is the way. You need to train day in, day out in order to execute this flawlessly," said Chad Warren, U.S. Shooting Academy.

This week, the participants will leave the academy and train throughout Tulsa. That will include running through a number of scenarios at Tulsa International Airport.

3/25/2009 Related story: Tulsa Firm To Specialize In Hired Guns