Security Forces Airmen participate in tactical training

by Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
375th Air Mobility Wing, Public Affairs

4/16/2014 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- More than 40 Security Forces members from across Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Force Space Command participated in training to enhance weapons and tactics skills April 7 through 11, 2014 at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

"In today's environment threats such as active shooter are realities," said Master Sgt. Peter Maraia, AMC SF Budget and Resources Manager. "Defenders must be tactically sound and experts with the tools of their trade in order to effectively eliminate such threats "Ken Good, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and his instructors teach weapons and tactics principles that can be modified and applied to any hostile situation."

The company, Progressive Combat Solutions, trains military and law enforcement personnel preparing them to respond to acts of violence, criminal encounters and sudden attacks using the decision-making process known as the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act) Loop, a concept originally coined by the Air Force.

Col. Randall Richert, AMC Chief of Security Forces said, "Everyone in Air Force has to qualify on weapons including security forces; but this training is geared specifically towards enhancing the proficiency skills of the Security Forces career field so they can get really good at using a weapon and apprehending members with proper force because it is their primary job. We want to make sure the Security Forces Airmen are experts with the tools they use for defending themselves and the members on the base during incidents."

The Airmen conducted live fire marksmanship at the base firing range and force-on-force with dye-marking cartridge rounds allowing them to hone their tactics. According to one Airman, this is the most beneficial training he has participated in since joining the military. Senior Airman Terrell Brandon from McConnell AFB, Kans., was one of the many SFS members selected to participate.

"Every day we learned something different whether it was shooting techniques or force-on-force," said Brandon, a Security Forces trainer. "This training is different because there is more force-on-force. The training I have participated in the past consists of 'I am up, you see me, I am down' scenarios. Here we learned how to communicate and shoot at the same time rather than one or the other. It was as realistic as possible without shooting live rounds at each other."

Brandon said they practiced firing positions, stances and drills, learned different ways to conduct force-on-force training and new ways to enter and clear rooms and buildings.

"The instructors did a great job putting it into perspective," said Brandon. "I hope to see more training opportunities like this available in the future."

After each war the military has had the tendency to lose certain skillsets they gain during combat. The Air Mobility Command Chief of Security Forces is creating training to retain combat skills learned in recent wars while getting back to the basics and polishing garrison skills the Airmen use for day-to-day duties.

"The goal of the training is that the SF members attending will take what they learned here back to their units to teach other SF members, improving the skills of the Airmen who are not so proficient," said Richert. "For the next six to eight months we [AMC] plan to document the progress of Airmen who receive the training to see what it is we can do better with the goal of expanding the training across the whole Air Force."