Ranger1
27 September 2007, 10:50
UK PSD TRAINING - PSD OPERATOR AND PSD LIVE FIRE COURSE AAR / REVIEW
Between 3 September 2007 and 23 September 2007 I attended the PSD Operator and PSD Live Fire Course offered by this company: http://www.psd-training.com/psd-operator.html.
I did a quick sneak and peek of the course a couple years ago ( http://www.socnetcentral.com/vb/showthread.php?t=67924 ).
My original reservation about actually stumping up the cash was lack of live fire. They’ve now fixed that. The first two weeks are in the UK (no live fire) the last week is in France (live fire). The last week is done in partnership with another company. ( http://www.euro-tactical.co.uk/ ).
About this review:
There’s a lot more I could write here, but this is for public consumption. There are a lot of tactics and SOPs that are taught that I would never want in the open, as I’m sure others wouldn’t. If you’re a vetted member of this site and have a question: PM me as and when. During the course of this review I’ve also tried to compare it to a couple of different MIL schools I’ve attended to give the reader an idea of the tempo and difficulty.
Attendees:
We had a mix of ex-US and ex-Brit military in our 10 man class. Two of the US guys were doing convoy security in Afghanistan for one of the major US firms and were using some of their contracted ‘off time’ to take the course. On ex-Marine, one ex-101st. The Brit guys were all ex-grunts and for some reason mostly Scottish (some really well rounded, switched on and funny gents). All in all, a really good group of guys except one who sadly was American and (IMHO) had no business being there. The 10% rule was well in effect. We were told on day one that any physical confrontation would result in immediate dismissal from the course. Otherwise I’d have taken him to the wood line myself.
Instructors:
Class of 10 and five instructors = good ratio. All of the DS were ex-British military except for two. One of the non-MIL with a lengthy International CP pedigree, the other having been a UK police firearms unit member for 20 years. All except one of them had spent time in the sandbox doing PSD work. A couple had an SOF ‘background’ of one degree or another. They were very professional and knowledgeable about all aspects of PSD work and generally all around good guys. One had a definite screw loose (in a good way). You know the type of guy who's the first one to crack a smile when a fresh box of demo arrives? That’s the type. (K, you know who you are.)
Course Content:
It’s a fast paced, fairly intense, 10-15% class work and 85-90% hands on course. I spoke to the lead instructor when it was all over and compared it to pouring 100lbs of shit into a 50 lb bag. There is a TON of material, real world lessons learned and practical skills to cover. The course is held for the first two weeks at The RAF Chilmark UK Centre for Homeland Security (and adjacent Ladydown Training area used by UK Infantry units). The third week is held in Brittany, France.
The first two days are introductory / refresher weapons drills, class work, equipment issue, PSD terminology and a bit of physical beasting. Sleep depravation doesn’t kick in until about 3-4 days in (which is mostly self inflicted because you need to study quite a bit on top of your overnight roaming / static guard shifts / getting bumped in the middle of the night with flash-bangs / arty sims / having to E&E and test out your client evac SOP’s etc). Course contact / study hours are 06.00hrs to 22.00hrs daily, not including night time 'simulated attacks' and 'client evacuations'. I managed a solid 3-4 hours of sleep a night. It reminded me of the level of class work and studying that I had to do for Air Assault school. Graded team leader positions are rotated frequently (shades of Ranger school…..). They simulate an FOB environment. You are on lock down for the entire first two weeks. We had real comms, throat mics, M4s / AK-74’s, chest rigs, chest and back plates, medic kits, go-bags, vehicle kits, Kevlar pisspots, etc, etc. It was literally as close to doing the real deal without being on a ‘two way range’ as you could get.
The first week is all PSD terminology / current sandbox - ROE’s / weapons / walking / running / vehicle skills / defensive-offensive driving / vehicle blocking / vehicle searching / IED-VBIED SOP’s/ cross decking / BG / CAT Team / SAP Team / break contact / commo / coded location and route drills as well as 2-3 hours of class work a day. They teach M4, AK-74 and Glock17s in dry fire to Brit MIL APWT safety / disassembly / assembly / range stoppage / combat stoppage standards. You are taught to develop (and indeed do develop and document) team led SOP’s for all aspects of PSD work, including ‘actions on’. The goal is to give you a flexible framework to carry in your back pocket when you get boots on the ground wherever your first contract is.
At the end of the first week you get hauled into the DS hooch and given a five on one counselling session telling you exactly what each individual instructor thinks about your performance, your ability to work on a PSD team and you as a person / team member / mentor. And they pull no punches. Really. There was a mixture of students leaving the DS hooch with smiles, punching walls, determined stares and one or two visibly upset.
The second week is almost entirely an FTX type of environment, whereas you are switched in and out of the TL and 2IC role and expected to get briefed on / brief back and hand down missions (more Ranger school flashbacks…). Class work is cut WAY back in week two. Each mission is then graded with the DS playing the part of aggressors, difficult clients, civilians, local LEO’s, friendly PSD teams (from ‘White Trickle’), etc.
The first two weeks culminates in a written exam, a team led tactics exam and a hands on weapons exam. That’s about as much as I can go into on a public board.
The third week is conducted in France (I know that’s going to be weird for my US brothers that the French firearms legislation is more lax /conducive to MIL style training than the UK’s, but it’s true). The first day is the instructors re-assessing everyone’s safety / marksmanship with longs and handguns. They give good personal attention to those that need to tighten up their marksmanship. The week culminates in a series of live fire break contact and vehicle drills (shades of Battalion this time) as well as a full on British AWPT safety / marksmanship tests using the M4, AK-47, H&K G3, Glock 17, HK USP, SIG 226 (I’m now a convert) and Browning Hi-Power. Again, that’s about as much as I can go into on a public board.
INTROS TO PSD / PMC FIRMS
Only a few of us scored above the 90% mark (the grade needed for them to forward our details to one of the UK PSD / PMC firms). They work very closely with AEGIS, but also have contacts with Armour Group, Control Risks and Hart. This is confirmed.
PROS
1.) The instructors, course content and standards for the first two weeks. The DS were top men with a ton of real world experience to pass on. You coudn't have asked for better.
2.) The instructors, course content and standards for the third week. These guys are the definitive quiet professionals. Even career soldiers that had been avid shooters all their lives saw vast improvement in their shooting. The DS know their business inside and out. And the chow deserves a mention. The accommodation usxed in France kicks ass and the food is amazing. I can’t name another course where you're housed in a 400 year old Brittany farmhouse with a wood fireplace and exposed beams, continental breakfast, where the average lunch has two types of fresh bread, salads, fresh fruit, four different cheeses, homemade pickles, home made chutneys, three different pates and a selection of saucisson, massive roast dinners with fresh baked desserts …..but I digress.
CONS
Their marketing says almost nothing about the physical side of the training. Most of us assumed it due to weight of equipment / weight of weapons / vehicle drills, etc, but some weren’t prepared at all. If you’re going to go, be in better than desk jockey shape and bring boots you can run in…a lot. I started the course in pretty good shape but running in a pair of heavy Raichle hiking boots. I completely ripped the cartilage out of one of my big toes and limped the rest of the way through the course. One guy threw out his back, everyone was hobbling at one stage or another and one guy got full on knocked out (miss you already Davie). Two guys almost quit even though they’d paid over $6k for the course. We scraped the sand out of their snatch and they drove on.
Also, it has the reputation of a gentleman’s course. It’s not. You do details, you get smoked, you pull security shifts and you do some KP. Everything is done for a reason so it’s probably a good idea to check your ego at the door. The final week in France is of a slower tempo (for safety), but accelerates towards the end.
The accommodation for the first two weeks was sparse and the food was below average (IMHO) for something I was paying for. I’ve seen the shots of real PSD sandbox accommodation and chow and that wasn’t it. They are aware of the issue and it should be fixed for the next class. It did heighten the stress and add to the training value. This was however forgiven and quickly forgotten due to the quality of accomodation and food once we got to France.
Summary
I would rate the overall three weeks a nine out of ten. I would suggest it to anyone looking to learn about or get employed into PSD work in a high risk setting. Some people have gotten so much out of it and enjoyed it so much, they've come back and done it again. I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone that isn’t former military or LEO. There are 3-4 of us that are considering taking their CP course and SIA Certification. Overall it was very good value for money.
Right, questions?
Between 3 September 2007 and 23 September 2007 I attended the PSD Operator and PSD Live Fire Course offered by this company: http://www.psd-training.com/psd-operator.html.
I did a quick sneak and peek of the course a couple years ago ( http://www.socnetcentral.com/vb/showthread.php?t=67924 ).
My original reservation about actually stumping up the cash was lack of live fire. They’ve now fixed that. The first two weeks are in the UK (no live fire) the last week is in France (live fire). The last week is done in partnership with another company. ( http://www.euro-tactical.co.uk/ ).
About this review:
There’s a lot more I could write here, but this is for public consumption. There are a lot of tactics and SOPs that are taught that I would never want in the open, as I’m sure others wouldn’t. If you’re a vetted member of this site and have a question: PM me as and when. During the course of this review I’ve also tried to compare it to a couple of different MIL schools I’ve attended to give the reader an idea of the tempo and difficulty.
Attendees:
We had a mix of ex-US and ex-Brit military in our 10 man class. Two of the US guys were doing convoy security in Afghanistan for one of the major US firms and were using some of their contracted ‘off time’ to take the course. On ex-Marine, one ex-101st. The Brit guys were all ex-grunts and for some reason mostly Scottish (some really well rounded, switched on and funny gents). All in all, a really good group of guys except one who sadly was American and (IMHO) had no business being there. The 10% rule was well in effect. We were told on day one that any physical confrontation would result in immediate dismissal from the course. Otherwise I’d have taken him to the wood line myself.
Instructors:
Class of 10 and five instructors = good ratio. All of the DS were ex-British military except for two. One of the non-MIL with a lengthy International CP pedigree, the other having been a UK police firearms unit member for 20 years. All except one of them had spent time in the sandbox doing PSD work. A couple had an SOF ‘background’ of one degree or another. They were very professional and knowledgeable about all aspects of PSD work and generally all around good guys. One had a definite screw loose (in a good way). You know the type of guy who's the first one to crack a smile when a fresh box of demo arrives? That’s the type. (K, you know who you are.)
Course Content:
It’s a fast paced, fairly intense, 10-15% class work and 85-90% hands on course. I spoke to the lead instructor when it was all over and compared it to pouring 100lbs of shit into a 50 lb bag. There is a TON of material, real world lessons learned and practical skills to cover. The course is held for the first two weeks at The RAF Chilmark UK Centre for Homeland Security (and adjacent Ladydown Training area used by UK Infantry units). The third week is held in Brittany, France.
The first two days are introductory / refresher weapons drills, class work, equipment issue, PSD terminology and a bit of physical beasting. Sleep depravation doesn’t kick in until about 3-4 days in (which is mostly self inflicted because you need to study quite a bit on top of your overnight roaming / static guard shifts / getting bumped in the middle of the night with flash-bangs / arty sims / having to E&E and test out your client evac SOP’s etc). Course contact / study hours are 06.00hrs to 22.00hrs daily, not including night time 'simulated attacks' and 'client evacuations'. I managed a solid 3-4 hours of sleep a night. It reminded me of the level of class work and studying that I had to do for Air Assault school. Graded team leader positions are rotated frequently (shades of Ranger school…..). They simulate an FOB environment. You are on lock down for the entire first two weeks. We had real comms, throat mics, M4s / AK-74’s, chest rigs, chest and back plates, medic kits, go-bags, vehicle kits, Kevlar pisspots, etc, etc. It was literally as close to doing the real deal without being on a ‘two way range’ as you could get.
The first week is all PSD terminology / current sandbox - ROE’s / weapons / walking / running / vehicle skills / defensive-offensive driving / vehicle blocking / vehicle searching / IED-VBIED SOP’s/ cross decking / BG / CAT Team / SAP Team / break contact / commo / coded location and route drills as well as 2-3 hours of class work a day. They teach M4, AK-74 and Glock17s in dry fire to Brit MIL APWT safety / disassembly / assembly / range stoppage / combat stoppage standards. You are taught to develop (and indeed do develop and document) team led SOP’s for all aspects of PSD work, including ‘actions on’. The goal is to give you a flexible framework to carry in your back pocket when you get boots on the ground wherever your first contract is.
At the end of the first week you get hauled into the DS hooch and given a five on one counselling session telling you exactly what each individual instructor thinks about your performance, your ability to work on a PSD team and you as a person / team member / mentor. And they pull no punches. Really. There was a mixture of students leaving the DS hooch with smiles, punching walls, determined stares and one or two visibly upset.
The second week is almost entirely an FTX type of environment, whereas you are switched in and out of the TL and 2IC role and expected to get briefed on / brief back and hand down missions (more Ranger school flashbacks…). Class work is cut WAY back in week two. Each mission is then graded with the DS playing the part of aggressors, difficult clients, civilians, local LEO’s, friendly PSD teams (from ‘White Trickle’), etc.
The first two weeks culminates in a written exam, a team led tactics exam and a hands on weapons exam. That’s about as much as I can go into on a public board.
The third week is conducted in France (I know that’s going to be weird for my US brothers that the French firearms legislation is more lax /conducive to MIL style training than the UK’s, but it’s true). The first day is the instructors re-assessing everyone’s safety / marksmanship with longs and handguns. They give good personal attention to those that need to tighten up their marksmanship. The week culminates in a series of live fire break contact and vehicle drills (shades of Battalion this time) as well as a full on British AWPT safety / marksmanship tests using the M4, AK-47, H&K G3, Glock 17, HK USP, SIG 226 (I’m now a convert) and Browning Hi-Power. Again, that’s about as much as I can go into on a public board.
INTROS TO PSD / PMC FIRMS
Only a few of us scored above the 90% mark (the grade needed for them to forward our details to one of the UK PSD / PMC firms). They work very closely with AEGIS, but also have contacts with Armour Group, Control Risks and Hart. This is confirmed.
PROS
1.) The instructors, course content and standards for the first two weeks. The DS were top men with a ton of real world experience to pass on. You coudn't have asked for better.
2.) The instructors, course content and standards for the third week. These guys are the definitive quiet professionals. Even career soldiers that had been avid shooters all their lives saw vast improvement in their shooting. The DS know their business inside and out. And the chow deserves a mention. The accommodation usxed in France kicks ass and the food is amazing. I can’t name another course where you're housed in a 400 year old Brittany farmhouse with a wood fireplace and exposed beams, continental breakfast, where the average lunch has two types of fresh bread, salads, fresh fruit, four different cheeses, homemade pickles, home made chutneys, three different pates and a selection of saucisson, massive roast dinners with fresh baked desserts …..but I digress.
CONS
Their marketing says almost nothing about the physical side of the training. Most of us assumed it due to weight of equipment / weight of weapons / vehicle drills, etc, but some weren’t prepared at all. If you’re going to go, be in better than desk jockey shape and bring boots you can run in…a lot. I started the course in pretty good shape but running in a pair of heavy Raichle hiking boots. I completely ripped the cartilage out of one of my big toes and limped the rest of the way through the course. One guy threw out his back, everyone was hobbling at one stage or another and one guy got full on knocked out (miss you already Davie). Two guys almost quit even though they’d paid over $6k for the course. We scraped the sand out of their snatch and they drove on.
Also, it has the reputation of a gentleman’s course. It’s not. You do details, you get smoked, you pull security shifts and you do some KP. Everything is done for a reason so it’s probably a good idea to check your ego at the door. The final week in France is of a slower tempo (for safety), but accelerates towards the end.
The accommodation for the first two weeks was sparse and the food was below average (IMHO) for something I was paying for. I’ve seen the shots of real PSD sandbox accommodation and chow and that wasn’t it. They are aware of the issue and it should be fixed for the next class. It did heighten the stress and add to the training value. This was however forgiven and quickly forgotten due to the quality of accomodation and food once we got to France.
Summary
I would rate the overall three weeks a nine out of ten. I would suggest it to anyone looking to learn about or get employed into PSD work in a high risk setting. Some people have gotten so much out of it and enjoyed it so much, they've come back and done it again. I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone that isn’t former military or LEO. There are 3-4 of us that are considering taking their CP course and SIA Certification. Overall it was very good value for money.
Right, questions?