Government Training Institute (GTI) Relocates Center of Excellence

July 31, 2008 By GTI President Chadd Harbaugh

GTI moves tactical operations training facility from Southwestern Idaho to South Carolina.

Government Training Institute, Inc. (GTI), a leading military and law enforcement tactical training organization, has relocated its training center to South Carolina. The move comes in response to national demand for the delivery of Active Shooter and SWAT courses approved by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), taught exclusively by GTI with eligibility for Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding.

“The new location enhances our ability to collaborate with a larger group of homeland security disciplines as we continue to address the readiness needs of our nation’s military, law enforcement and all other first responders,” said GTI President Chadd Harbaugh. “The enormity of our new tactical training facility makes it ideal for curriculum delivery and ensures room for future expansion.”

GTI’s new “Center of Excellence” in Denmark, South Carolina is situated on 44 acres. The property includes 22 acres of wooded ground that is attached to the primary training center’s 22 acres. GTI’s 196,000 sq. ft. Denmark complex includes:

• 9,000 sq. ft. of administrative offices and classrooms for lectures, seminars and in-class instruction  
• Indoor simulation area for close quarter battle (CQB) training and high-intensity conflict combat scenarios
• Mat room
• Weight room
• Video fire arms simulator
• Movable CQB walls for customized training events

The Barnwell complex was formerly a nuclear fuel reprocessing station that GTI has converted into a homeland security training center for advanced law enforcement and military training scenarios. The Barnwell complex includes:

• Decommissioned nuclear station
• Low light training areas for Night Vision Goggles (NVG) and thermal imagers
• Towers and ascending structures for fast roping and rappelling at multiple heights and difficulties
• Live fire range scalable up to 300 yards
• Defensive driving track for convoy operations and Personal Security Detail (PSD) training
• Controlled access, private-water training area
• Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) training range
• Short Range Training Ammunition (SRTA) capable CQB training areas throughout complex

All of GTI's courses listed below are included in the State Sponsored Catalog which can also be located on the FEMA site.

• ID-001-RESP - Type III Advanced SWAT Operations for Terrorist Environments
• ID-002-RESP - Type II Advanced SWAT Operations for Terrorist Environments
• ID-003-RESP - Type I Advanced SWAT Operations for Terrorist Environments
• ID-004-RESP - Immediate Action Teams: Rapid Law Enforcement Tactical Response to Violence and Terrorism in the School Setting
• ID-006-RESP - SWAT - Law Enforcement Tactical Operations for Terrorism Response (Basic Concepts and Tactics)
• ID-008-RESP - Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) Awareness Training

“The success of our first responders cannot be left to chance,” said Harbaugh. “GTI will continue to update and expand upon DHS-approved training opportunities so our first responders can reduce vulnerabilities and sharpen anti-terrorism and counterterrorism capabilities.  These two new training centers on the east coast will help us reach a broader base of first responders much more cost effectively."  The DHS grant program offers funding for state, local and tribal governments to prepare, prevent, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks. 

Centrally located between New York and Florida, GTI offers students in all homeland security disciplines real-world replication in a controlled environment. GTI relocated to the Southern Carolina region to facilitate interagency partnerships with the vast national network of organizations involved in national security and to assure the preparedness of military and law enforcement agencies responsible for homeland security. GTI finalized the purchase of the property in June 2008. The first course to be held in the new GTI facility is slated for this September.