FORT POLK, La.—A team of ERDC researchers performed a full-scale evaluation of a second generation Modular Guard Tower System (MGTS) recently at Fort Polk, La.
Redesigned for optimization, the structure incorporated new requirements from the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Physical Security Division, as well as critical component modifications based on the evaluation of the first generation MGTS at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in March 2012.
Due to recent events in hostile nations, the MGTS has drawn positive feedback and widespread attention. In addition to the full-scale evaluation at Fort Polk, secondary experiments were performed to showcase the performance of the patent-pending Hardened Alternative Trailer System, a joint development for ERDC and the State Department, against small-caliber rockets.
Attending the evaluation were Deputy Assistant Secretary and Assistant Director for Countermeasures Gentry Smith, Bureau of Diplomatic Security; and Jon Schwerdtfeger and Craig Ackerman, Physical Security Division, Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Representatives from the Overseas Building Operations (OBO), the State Department’s facilities design team, also attended the evaluation.
Learn more about ERDC’s Deployable Force Protection Systems.