Managing a
Civil Disturbance
A protest at the perimeter fence escalates. You are the Sector Commander. Assess the threat, de-escalate, and report through the chain of command.
The same scenario in Fast and Clear
Scenario Setup
The Situation at the North Fence
📍 Setting
👥 Key People
Sgt. Kucera -- Senior sector NCO
Cpl. Hudak -- Interpreter
Maj. Kral -- Duty Officer (radio)
📚 Language Focus
⚒ Your Role
Reporting Framework | North Fence
How to Structure Your Report
Every field report in this course follows the same four parts. Here are the first two for this incident. You will discover the rest as you work through the scenario.
Situation
When, where, who, and what happened.
Approximately 80 local civilians gathered outside the North Fence to protest a planned military exercise. The crowd grew louder, and several individuals at the front began pushing against the perimeter fence.
Task
Your role and what you were required to do.
As Sector Commander, protect the installation, prevent a perimeter breach, and avoid use of force where possible -- while reporting up the chain of command.
Action
The steps taken, in order. Use sequence words: First... Then... Finally...
You will read what 1st Lt. Novakova did on slide 6.
Result
The outcome, and any follow-up. Use the passive voice where you can.
You will hear and read the outcome on slide 7.
Read the Incident
Timeline of Events: North Fence
Crowd Assembles
Escalation Begins
You Arrive
Use specific numbers and positions: "Approximately 80 individuals were gathered at the fence."
Avoid vague words: say "throwing objects", not "being aggressive".
Priority Decision
What Would You Do First?
You have just arrived at the North Fence. The crowd is pushing the fence.
Tap or click the actions in the order you would choose, most urgent first. Then compare your order with the one Lt. Novakova followed in this story. Select a card again to take it out of your order.
0 of 4 in your order.
Officer Actions
How 1st Lt. Novakova Responded
Read each action step. Open each step for the detail and the key language used.
0 of 5 steps opened
Key language: "I assessed the situation and estimated approximately 80 civilians, with several individuals actively pushing against the perimeter fence at panels B7 and B8."
Key language: "I hereby order you to disperse immediately. You are in violation of a designated military security zone. Failure to comply will result in police intervention."
Key language: "North Fence, 14:37. Approximately 80 civilians pushing against perimeter fence. Formal warning issued. Requesting police support. No use of force at this time. Over."
Key language: "The MPs were positioned in a defensive cordon formation. They were ordered to remain calm, maintain visual contact with the crowd, and not to initiate physical contact."
Key language: "A contemporaneous record was maintained throughout the incident. All actions were logged with time, location, and the name of the officer responsible."
Report language is precise (times, numbers), neutral (no slang) and often passive. Which of these sentences are formal enough for a written report? Select all that are, then check. The others are too informal.
Report language is precise (times, numbers), neutral (no "wild", no "cops", no "get lost") and often passive ("was issued", "was requested", "were positioned"). "After a while" and "pretty" are spoken, informal English.
Outcome
How the Incident Was Resolved
Listen to Lt. Novakova's radio report to Maj. Kral (call sign Bravo Six). Answer the three questions below: the first is about the message as a whole, the others about details. Replay the audio as many times as you need. The transcript and the rest of the story appear when your answers are marked: when all are right, or after your second check. If you cannot use the audio, press Show transcript.
Use precise language: "18 minutes after the initial radio call", not "later".
End with a clear outcome statement: "The situation was resolved without use of force and the installation remained secure."
Comprehension Check
Check Your Understanding
Answer the four questions at your own pace. If you choose an answer that is not the best one, you will see why, and you can try again. There is no grade.
Choose the word that completes each sentence from the story. Check your answers when all six are chosen.
Writing Exercise
Write Your Field Report
You are 1st Lt. Novakova. Write a brief after-action report to Maj. Kral using the reporting framework. Do not use real names, places or operational details. Use the prompts below to guide each section.
Short version: if you have little time, write the Situation and the Action only, about 60 words. The preview, the model answer and the debrief work the same.
On Tuesday at approximately 14:20, a crowd of approximately 80 civilians gathered outside the North Fence of Leifsborg Training Base, to protest a planned military exercise. The crowd was initially peaceful. At 14:28, several individuals at the front began pushing against the perimeter fence, and panels B7 and B8 were under pressure. When I arrived at 14:35, four MPs were in a line behind the fence, Cpl. Hudak (interpreter) was present, and two individuals were throwing small objects.
As Sector Commander, with four Military Police under my command and no lethal force authorised, my task was to protect the installation, prevent a breach of the perimeter, avoid the use of force where possible, and report to Maj. Kral, the Duty Officer.
I first assessed the threat: approximately 80 individuals, with three to four agitators at the front and panels B7 and B8 at risk. I then issued a formal verbal warning through Cpl. Hudak, once in English and once in the local language. At 14:37, I reported to Maj. Kral by radio and requested police support. I then positioned the four MPs in a visible defensive cordon behind the fence and ordered that there be no physical contact with the crowd. A log of all actions was kept throughout, and Cpl. Hudak recorded descriptions of the three most visible agitators.
Following the second warning, the crowd began to disperse at 14:52. Local police arrived at 14:55, 18 minutes after the request, and assumed responsibility for the area. No force was used by military personnel and no injuries were sustained. This after-action report was submitted to Maj. Kral at 15:10, with a recommendation to review the integrity of the fence panels on the North Fence.
Debrief & Lessons Learned
Prepare Your Debrief
Each scenario in this course ends with a debrief. This slide gives you the language for a short spoken briefing and a debrief. A version for a group is folded below.
Record a 2-minute verbal briefing from your written report on your phone, as if you were briefing your commander. Speak from your notes; do not read word for word. Give times and numbers precisely.
Listen back and count the times, numbers and passive sentences you used. Then answer the three questions above in writing, one sentence each.
Key question for you: "How did Lt. Novakova report that no force was used? Which passive structures did she use?"
With a group: the small-group briefing and debrief
Work in groups of three. Each round has three roles. The Briefer gives a 2-minute verbal briefing from their written report. The Chair leads a 3-minute debrief with the three questions above, using the phrases for leading a debrief. The Listener asks one question and writes down one phrase they want to use themselves.
Then rotate the roles and repeat, so that everyone briefs once and chairs once: three rounds, about 18 minutes. If several groups are working together, come together afterwards for about 5 minutes: each group shares one sentence it liked, and everyone discusses the key question below.
Briefer: speak from your notes; do not read word for word. Give times and numbers precisely.
Key discussion question for the group: "How did Lt. Novakova report that no force was used? Which passive structures did she use?"
Same scenario, two ways. Choose by who is listening and what they understand. Know the formal words? Saying it simply is often the harder skill: try it in Fast and Clear. Know the short way? Learn the formal words here.