Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Joey Figueroa, a former EST Chief of the Guard, said only a couple of dhows had ventured to get close to the ships since the program started, but that they turned away when the team started pre-planned responses, such as launching flares.
“Once they see the ship is what we call a hard target, then they go away,” explained Young.
Young credited the EST staff with the success of the fledgling program. The predominantly junior enlisted staff members had been executing tasks usually performed by higher-ranking military personnel. He said a new command was being introduced to NSA Bahrain, Mobile Security Squadron 3 Det. Bahrain, and that its projected staff included “twice the number of bodies, and much higher ranks” than those currently running EST. He said the current teams’ performance, despite having fewer members, was a reflection of the quality and magnitude of their efforts.
“You have an OS2 (operations specialist 2nd class) [currently]doing the job of a lieutenant junior grade or a lieutenant, an FC3 (fire controlman 3rd class) doing the job of a supply officer or a chief petty officer, supply-type, [and]an MA2 (master-at-arms 2nd class) doing the job of a GM1 (gunner's mate 1st class) or GMC (chief gunner's mate),” said Young.
McNerney, from Philadelphia, and Fire Controlman 3rd Class Carrie Weathers, from Baton Rouge, La., had been invaluable members of this team from its inception. Young also credited Figueroa with successfully executing the command training program and Barber with running a unit that will be supervised by a lieutenant commander in the future.
“Without a doubt, without Weathers (the command's supply petty officer) and McNerney (who schedules both active-duty and reserve team movements within the region), this whole program would have fallen apart months ago,” he said. “We would never have got off the ground.”
