War Wagon focuses on basic combat skills

Published Dec. 22, 2005
By Darren D. Heusel
72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFMCNS) -- A new program aimed at providing Airmen the basic combat skills necessary to operate downrange was the focus of a War Wagon exercise conducted Dec. 13-15 at the Glenwood training area north of Tinker Air Force Base.

The Expeditionary Combat Skills Training course is a new program will be taught to all Airmen by members of the 72nd Security Forces Squadron.

According to ECST instructor 2nd Lt. Eric Lifto, Air Force bases worldwide have recently begun adopting this course as an Aerospace Expeditionary Force pre-deployment requirement.

"The present expectation of the Expeditionary Combat Skills Training course is to instill previous training and equip Airmen with additional combat skills relevant to the current threat," he said. "The overall goal is to afford all Airmen the confidence when called upon to confront and destroy our enemies."

Lt. Col. Joe Hogan, acting 72nd SFS commander, said the War Wagon 06-02 training exercise involved 100 Airmen from the 72nd Air Base Wing including medical, services and communications personnel.

"This training is aimed at providing these Airmen with the basic combat skills they might need, not if but when they deploy," he said.

Day one of the training consisted of weapons instruction, with day two consisting of station training. Day three consisted of Airmen putting all their skills together and exhibiting their knowledge through various ground combat scenarios.

The training was set up so that Airmen could go from station to station and hone their skills in a variety of areas such as use of force and base defense.

Training events also covered reacting to direct and indirect fire, identifying improvised explosive devices, reporting procedures, cover and concealment, fighting positions and convoy operations.

Tech. Sgt. Robert Velia, noncommissioned officer in charge of Security Forces training, said the Expeditionary Combat Skills Training is over and above the usual Phase Two activity such as chemical warfare suit practice, unexploded ordnance operations and performing assigned duties in the field

"This is real combat operations skills that everyone in a combat area needs to be aware of," he said. "In the future, you're going to see a lot more Airmen coming in and augmenting the security forces.

"In the grand scheme of things, it's a very worthwhile course and, with this being the first course, it's just going to evolve from here."