STANTA provides defenders with force-on-force training

by Airman 1st Class Trevor T. McBride
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

7/31/2014 - Norfolk, England --  More than 180 defenders assigned to the 48th Security Forces Squadron participated in annual force-on-force training at Stanford Training Area July 29.

"The purpose of the training is to provide an opportunity for Airmen to take their culmination of training over the last year and implement it to the most unpredictable real-world environment we can provide," said Tech. Sgt. Erik Ellingson, 48th SFS training section chief.

STANTA is a military training area for Airmen to train in a field environment. While at STANTA, defenders practiced a variety of scenarios that they may face on the job.

"Giving Airmen the next level of training is invaluable," Ellingson said. "It gives them the opportunity to hone their skills for the real deal."

The training was divided in different stations that consisted of baton defense training, high risk traffic stops, and a series of scenarios that include hostile gate-runners, active-shooters, domestic violence situations and high value targets.

"Security forces are the jack-of-all-trades in the military," Ellingson said. "That means we are not limited to just one mission. We cover a wide range of missions on a daily basis while at the gates, on patrol or deployed."

According to Tech. Sgt. Ian Campbell, 48th SFS NCO in charge of Defender University, these scenarios can make a difference in the day-to-day capabilities of Liberty Airmen.

"This is one of the best trainings we've had here," said Senior Airman Timothy Knotts, 48th SFS response force leader.

"It brought us together and we were able to enjoy a fun day," Knotts added.
Airman 1st Class Miguel Maldonado, 48th SFS response force member, says the experience, especially as a new Airman, was beneficial.

"Our hearts are pounding, we are moving around, and we receive realistic practice for scenarios we could encounter on a day-to-day basis," Maldonado said.

Lots of preparation took place behind the scenes in order to ensure the training was both effective and a huge hit with the defenders.

"We had to coordinate with ammunitions, vehicle operations, dispatch, armory, and arrange two flights from our squadron to participate on their day off," Campbell said.

The 48th SFS Airmen are already planning on how to improve the next force-on-force training.

"We plan to do more in-house training on specific squad tactics and movements throughout the year," said Campbell. "I'm proud of our Airmen's effort today, and we hope to be able to do this more often."