NOVEMBER 5, 2020 – The 355th Security Forces Squadron hosted various training sessions during Bushwhacker 20-07 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Nov. 2 to 6, 2020.
This training included learning about the law of armed conflict, use of force and other rules of engagement, as well as practicing individual movement, team movement, weapons handling and detention and searching techniques. These are critical skills for Airmen as they learn to deal with situations they may face downrange.
“Everybody needs a basic knowledge of combat skills and who better to train that then SFS?” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Rocky Rembert, 355th SFS training section chief. “We developed this course that covers all the basic skills we deemed necessary in a short amount of time.”
This curriculum has been developed through multiple sessions of the Dynamic Wing Skills Training Course and is now being taught at the wing level as part of Bushwhacker 20-07 to teach more Airmen and become more effective.
“The curriculum has changed to put more of an emphasis on building multi-capable Airmen as it is required by the Dynamic Wing,” said Kevin Johnson, 355th SFS trainer. “We have 150 Airmen going through training this week from a wider variety of career fields, where it is typically only 30 or so maintenance personnel, which gives what we are doing a bigger impact. Now we have the ability to split into doing some class work, field work and we are going to the range and getting them qualified with their weapons.”
The Airmen involved in this training were from various units across the wing and learned from SFS personnel to become multi-capable that are able to establish, sustain and defend the base with organic command and control.
“By getting everyone that basic riflemen and field operator type training, we multiply the ability of our force to go and support operations when the wing is called on,” Johnson said. “You never want to be in a gun fight or survival situation where you wish that you learned more. We are giving these Airmen a basis for the situation where they may have to defend a base or location, but we want them to walk away with a desire to learn more and continue developing and mastering their field skill craft.”
The 355th Wing is developing Airmen to meet the needs of the ever-changing global climate of war by forging an unmatched and unprecedented state of high-end readiness. This is being sustained by multi-capable Airmen that are able to execute dynamic force employment and agile combat employment in contested and austere environments.
“We are conducting this training to meet the objectives of this exercise and the wing commander,” Rembert said. “This gives the wing the ability to grab any group of Airmen that are required to complete the mission at a moment’s notice and drop them into a contested area in the middle of nowhere and know that they have the skills they need to survive and be successful.”
The 355th Wing is leading the way in executing the priorities of Air Force and Department of Defense senior leaders by staying ready to wield combat airpower anywhere, anytime through constantly evolving and enhanced training.
Story by Airman 1st Class Jacob Stephens
355th Wing