News

Reserve cops support pre-deployment training operations abroad

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Madelyn McCullough
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
BAUMHOLDER, Germany --  Typically, security forces airmen train to protect. In this case, more than 15 Reservists were recently given the opportunity to learn how things work behind the fence.

These 446th Airlift Wing airmen from the 446th Security Forces Squadron travelled from their home at McChord Field, Washington to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 12, 2014, for their annual training. The exercises took place here at an Army training area, where they conduct pre-deployment classes for airmen.

The Reservists' mission was to dress up as local villagers, refugees, and terrorists to play out different scenarios for the trainees to respond to.

"We're facilitating the unit here with aggressors," said Master Sgt. Carlos Duell, 446th SFS annual tour team leader. "These are scenarios that help them train for what they're going to do any place they go down range. It's the opportunity to touch, feel, interact, and role play. We train how we fight."

At the same time they help airmen to practice their combat skills, Reservists learn how to think like the enemy.

"You have to get in the mind set of what the aggressor would do," said Senior Airman Delano Andres, 446th SFS fire team member. "So if your job is to break into the flightline or break into the fence of the base, you have to think about what would be the best way of doing that without being caught."

Andres said it's challenging thinking outside the box from both sides since usually he's thinking about how to defend against attackers.

"You're switching sides," he said. "You have to think deeper into not so much how you would protect in these scenarios, as opposed to what people would do. You have to look at different avenues of approach of attacking as an aggressor."

While acting as the enemy, airmen are also able to think about what they would do if they were in defense.

"It's a great opportunity for us to be here," Duell said. "As they are doing the scenarios, we're asking airmen, 'If you're on the other side of this what are you supposed to be doing?'"

This way, Reservists learn too, he said. It jogs their memories. It's the practical application of all the things they learned in tech school.

Airmen also take it as an opportunity to ask questions to those who have had more experience.

"A lot of the young airmen are picking the instructors here for information," Duell said. "Some of these cadre here have been to numerous places. It's an opportunity for these young airmen and junior NCO's to talk to people who've been downrange to places they haven't.

"You've got a role model here," he continued. "There's someone here to mentor you, someone you can look to and say, 'That's the guy I want to be. I want their job. I can do that job.'"

It's a learning experience for everyone.