Team McConnell prepares for combat

  • Published
  • By Airman Justin Shelton
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Infiltrating hostile villages, low crawling, high crawling, and providing suppressive cover fire, are some of the skills multiple Team McConnell members relearned during the past combat skills training course here May 22. All Airmen who deploy are required to accomplish CST prior to their departure.

However, CST contains more than just field training exercises and basic security forces maneuvers.

"CST is often confused as a security forces squadron-run program, but is actually a 22nd Air Refueling Wing program that is Air Mobility Command directed," stated Master Sgt. Gregory Cohen, 22nd Security Forces Squadron, superintendent of training.

The latest course involved 21 students ranging in rank from airman first class to technical sergeant and included members from seven different McConnell squadrons. The first day of the four-day training consisted of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive readiness training. Then, the group underwent classroom instruction and field training exercises on days two and three, respectively. Their training was followed up with a final day of shooting and qualifying with their M-16s at the combat arms training and maintenance range.

Master Sgts. Gregory Cohen and Peter Nusspickel, and Tech. Sgt. Geoffrey Simonson, all 22nd Security Forces Squadron, ran the classroom and FTX portions of the course.

The classroom portion was comprised of a lot of hands-on, refresher material. The students relearned the skills they were briefly taught during basic training, such as self aid and buddy care, use of force, and individual and team movements. Similar to basic training, the students discussed these topics with the instructors and then had an opportunity to practice them. The classroom time was also geared to inform the trainees about improvised explosive devices and integrated base defense. The classroom portion was annotated on each individual's training records, and is valid for 20 months.

During the FTX, each person was outfitted with personal protective equipment, to include a kevlar helmet, a flak vest, torso and neck padding, heavy-duty gloves, goggles, a face shield and a special M-16 that uses simunitions, or plastic bullets with paint filled tips. Then, the students were split up into fire teams.

After the instructors formed the fire teams, the students learned individual and team tactics, as well as the use of military operations and urban terrain tactics. The individual and team tactics included how to react to indirect fire and ambush scenarios. The instructors used ground burst simulators, which have the force of .25 of a stick of dynamite, to simulate mortar rounds and teach the class about indirect fire. The instructors also threw smoke grenades at the students to help disorient them.

The instructors used the military operations and urban terrain tactics to teach the class about how to properly clear a building. Using these newly learned tactics, the fire teams took turns attacking and defending a mock village. While each fire team played its role of either a friendly or hostile force, the instructors evaluated the class's overall performance.

The fourth and final day, students qualified with their M-16s.

A large number of people are tasked each year with completing the CST course prior to deploying.

"In this current AEF bucket alone, AEF 5/6 we have approximately 289 people that we have to get trained," said Sergeant Cohen.

The security forces CST instructors are responsible for ensuring that each and every Airman, sergeant, and officer who leaves this base can perform the basic skills that could make the difference between a life and death situation.

This responsibility is shared with many other personnel and related courses on McConnell, such as CBRNE and getting inoculations at the clinic.

It is the combined efforts of these courses and the Airmen behind them that help the Air Force reach its goals of Global Vigilance, Global Reach, and Global Power.