INSIDE SECRET WORLD OF NCIS BAHRAIN

Investigating terrorism, espionage, homicide, drug trafficking, assault, security and much more is the day to day job of Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agents.

And these cases are not out of the storylines of the action drama TV series, NCIS, but the real life job of NCIS agents deployed in the kingdom who have been directly involved with investigating the US Navy base shootings in 2007, the death of Cherie Morton in May 2008 and other sensitive probes.

'Bahrain is the regional field office for the Middle East encompassing 23 countries. NCIS has 40 to 50 staff members supporting different activities all over the Middle East ranging from special agents, forensic experts, security specialists, analysts and support staff and Bahrain is home to half of them,' said Mark N. Russ, Special Agent in Charge of the Middle East Field Office speaking exclusively to GulfWeekly from NCIS headquarters in Juffair.

'Our mission is to support the Navy and Marine Corps in preventing terrorism, protecting secrets, force protection and reducing crime. Our main emphasis in the Middle East is preventing terrorism,' he added.

The Middle East's importance has increased exponentially with Western governments. Apart from being a resource rich region, the area is a hotbed of activity bordering on volatility. 'In 1987, NCIS had a single agent assigned in Bahrain. At the time, Bahrain came under our European field office in Naples, Italy. But through the years our organisation has grown in numbers and presence and Bahrain is now one of our most important offices in the organisation,' said Mr Russ.

In Bahrain, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) runs a Law Enforcement Outreach programme where both Bahrainis and Americans work in a joint exercise and share techniques and processes with each other on issues from customs to human trafficking.

Recently, NCIS provided forensic training to the kingdom's Royal Police Academy.

Apart from providing support to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet based on the island, NCIS is also involved in the newly-formed Combined Task Force to combat piracy following the high-profile capture of a Saudi supertanker last year.

In recent days a naval force consisting of US and British ships for the first time seized two groups of suspected pirates after receiving distress calls from merchant ships in the Gulf of Eden, as reported in last week's GulfWeekly.

This is a new high-seas adventure for NCIS and they respond to the Navy's request and provide agents and staff members as required.

Mark N. Russ, Special Agent in Charge of the Middle East Field Office in Juffair, said:_'This is one of our highest priorities locally. We provide law enforcement advisory support to the entire process. We have participated in anti-piracy events all over the world through the years and have worked with various governments regarding prosecution of piracy cases.

'NCIS Bahrain is one of the most dynamic and diverse field offices within our organisation. Our communications directorate in Washington DC has decided to shoot part of an NCIS mission video in Bahrain.

'We want the best people on this assignment and the aim of the video is to encourage our agents to come to this region and serve.

'The video will provide an overview of NCIS's different exercises and activities in Bahrain and the region.'

'This part of the world has changed exponentially in terms of security and stability.

'We have developed a close working relationship with the Bahraini government where we can just pick up the phone and call them directly whether it is to resolve issues or share information without delays or bureaucracy. Based on our relationship here, this office serves as a model for the rest of the world.'

Mr Russ previously served in Bahrain as a Supervisory Special Agent in 2000. During his two-year stint, he was the Supervisory Agent responsible for the Navy's investigation of the USS Cole terrorist bombing investigation. He was also deployed to Afghanistan during the winter of 2001 to support the investigation of accused American Taliban member, John Walker Lindh.

So is the real life NCIS as adrenaline fuelled as its Hollywood version which has been running successfully on the small screen since September 2003.

'The show captures the spirit of the organisation and the fact that most of us love our jobs which is emulated by Mark Harmon - who plays special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs - in the show.

'What we do in six months is what is action-packed in one hour. Our day-to-day lives are not as fast paced as portrayed in the programme like the gun play and the drama.

'Yes, it can get like that on special assignments like the one I was assigned to in Afghanistan. One day I was Christmas shopping and two hours later I was in the war-torn country on a five-day roller-coaster mission,' said Mr Russ.

But the Hollywood drama styled around the organisation has taken the real life NCIS to a wider audience and helped raise its profile.

Leon Carroll, former special agent in charge at NCIS is one of the technical advisors of the Hollywood drama to help make it as close to reality as possible. There is a constant interchange and interplay between the communications directorate in Washington DC and the producers of the show for accurate depiction and many a times scripts are sent to NCIS for review. 'But the bottom line is that the TV show is simply entertainment!'

NCIS is the US Department of Navy's primary law enforcement and counterintelligence arm.

It is the only organsation in the Defence Department that combines law enforcement, counterintelligence and security missions. 'We take elements from the FBI, CIA and DEA and that is what makes NCIS unique,' said Mr Russ.