Centurion Training Group

There are a distressing number of armed professionals who receive nothing more than the minimum levels of necessary training. Policeman or soldier, it is a warrior’s burden to defend those who cannot defend themselves—and too often our defenders are not as well prepared as they could be (and should be), if they just had the time or the money.

Mostly the money.

It's our belief that the officers and soldiers that can't afford the high-end, high-dollar training are the ones that need it the most.can afford to send their personnel to expensive courses are probably the agencies and units that have a professional organic training cadre, or at least established relationships with other cadres and training institutions. It's the young E-4 Cav scout, the small town police officer, the I & I Marine L/Cpl attached to a reserve unit or the rural county deputy that rarely gets the extra training they need. This isn’t to say that officers and operators from larger departments or specialty units don’t do without, it’s just not as likely. The same agencies and units that

That's the whole point of the Centurion Training Group. We train those who need it, as best we can and as often as we can, to do our part in making sure they return whole from their beat—whether that’s over in the Big Sandbox or right here at home. We don’t charge our students for the training (though there is sometimes a cost for billeting, chow and materials) and we teach as often as we can schedule classes (this frequency being limited of course by the professional demands of the instructors’ careers and the availability of vacation time). Among the courses CTG offers are—Tracking (Visual Track Interpretation), Defensive Tactics (groundfighting and grappling), Isolated Structure Techniques (a different take on MOUT tactics inside the structure), SWAT Fundamentals and various firearms courses.

Click here to read the article God and the Operator by Michael D. Vaught, CTG

Our ‘tactical’ corner of the world is filled with references to ancient direct action guys and warrior brotherhoods.  There are flashlights named after swords and training facilities linked to two thousand year old mythologies, sunglasses and water bottles and socks all referring back to evocative historical figures that personify the warrior ethos. So why did we choose the Centurion? Not because he was the ancient counterpart of today’s Master Gunnery Sergeants, Sergeants Major and CWOs, the long-term veteran regular of the Roman army, with decades of service…the true ‘lead by example’ unit commander that made his army the most professional and effective the world had ever seen.  Not because history tells us that it was only two centurions who were strong enough and tough enough to stop the legendary Spartacus in man on man combat.  Not because Caesar wrote in his campaign histories that it was his centurions of the first line that were the vessels of his victories, not because centurions rarely retired from their duties, almost always dying in service, nor because the units of the day were named after their centurion rather than numbered or given a letter designation as they are now.

We chose the Centurion for other reasons.  The New Testament references seven Roman Centurions, from Cornelius, who was the first gentile convert to the Christian faith, to the Centurion who asked Christ to heal his slave, to the Centurion whose confession recognized Christ as the True Son of God as he hung from the cross.  Not Roman officers, not Roman dignitaries, not noblemen or philosophers or storied artisans, but the rough old senior NCO Centurions.  As these old warhorses, men whose entire lives were dedicated to the profession of arms, went about their duties as commanders, police officials and provincial administrators, at least a few of them linked their duties with a conscience and a moral obligation.  This is what we choose.