Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion 2 (NPDB2) is a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

task force of 422 active duty and Naval Reserve

Sailors A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

formed 1 May 2006 for the purpose of combat duties in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Overview

NPDB 2 was formed under the Individual Augmentation Program, that trains

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

members from all Navy communities (aviation, submariners, surface, hospital corps) to fill manpower shortages for in theater assignments in the US led Global War On Terrorism (GWOT). The sailors were all "individual augmentees -- sailors who fill a non-traditional expeditionary combat support or combat service mission". Prior to deploying in August 2006, they received three months of training from the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

which included convoy operations, self-defense tactics, riot control, hand-to-hand combat,

non-lethal weapon Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than convention ...

s, first aid, search and seizure, and urban operations. NPDB2 sailors served in

Camp Bucca Camp Bucca () was a forward operating base that housed a theater internment facility maintained by the United States military in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq. After being taken over by the U.S. military (800th Military Police Brigade) in April ...

under the command of the US Army's

16th Military Police Brigade The 16th Military Police Brigade is a United States Army Military Police Corps, military police brigade of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This brigade has the only airborne forces, airborne-qualified military ...

. During its deployment one sailor was awarded the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

for injuries in combat, and another died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Additionally, two sailors received battlefield promotions through the Combat Meritorious Advancement Program for their achievements during the deployment. NPDB2 was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for extremely meritorious service during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 01-May-2006 to 01-Jun-2007.

Extended deployment

In 26 March 2007 Commander of NPDB 2 announced that personnel serving with the battalion, were being involuntarily extended as per a request by the Commanding General Task Force 134 for 3 months making it a total of 15 months deployed. Subsequently making the detainee battalion the longest "boots on ground" Navy unit since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. This news came to the sailors just 35 days prior to the units scheduled departure from Camp Bucca. The unit was redeployed to

Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ham ...

on 10 August 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion Two Battalions of the United States Navy Prisons in Iraq