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SFS troops

Senior Airman Brian Sebastian, a 71st Security Forces Squadron member from Vance Air Force Base, Okla., scans the horizon during a “short halt” on a foot patrol at Camp Gruber, Okla., Sept. 27. More than 50 Airmen from the 71st SFS attended the field training exercise on Sept. 27 and 29. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. James Bolinger)

SFS troops

Airman 1st Class Bradley Browning, a 71st Security Forces Squadron member at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., clears a room during mount training at Camp Gruber, Okla., Sept. 27. Security Forces Airmen fired approximately 13,000 5.56 mm rounds at pop-up targets and more than 2,500 simunitions during two days of training. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. James Bolinger)

Security Forces get familiar with shoot, move, communicate

Published Oct. 12, 2011
By Staff Sgt. James Bolinger
71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- More than 50 Vance Air Force Base security forces Airmen used an Army pop-up target live-fire range and replica village to hone shoot, move and communicate techniques Sept. 26 and 29, at Oklahoma National Guard's Camp Gruber Maneuver Training Center in southeast Oklahoma.

Exercises like this help new Airmen get acquainted with security forces techniques, said Senior Airman Steven Jenkins, a 71st Security Forces Squadron Base Defense Operations Center controller, who compared the Camp Gruber exercise to his pre-deployment regional training course.

Patrolling roads, gathering intel from locals and searching for weapons caches in villages are all thing Security Forces members do while deployed, Jenkins said. Becoming familiar with the basics at Vance will allow Airmen to learn more when they attend pre-deployment training.

The exercise consisted of two events -- a live-fire with pop-up targets and a foot patrol through a village. When the Airmen arrived at Camp Gruber, instructors split them into two squads. While one squad used the firing range, the other performed the foot patrol.

The pop-up target course of fire was designed by Tech. Sgts. Brad Hancock and Curtis Hames, members of the 71st SFS. The pop-up targets change what Airmen here are used to shooting at. On an out-door shooting range with targets up to 400 yards away, Airmen have to work around wind, bullet drop and sighting in on targets in a limited amount of time.

The Airmen fired approximately 13,000 5.56 mm rounds at the pop-up targets during the two-day exercise.

The foot patrol included an improvised explosive device scenario, a meeting with a local village chief to gather intel and a force-on-force mock battle using simunitions, a type of non-lethal training ammunition.

The cadre arrived early at Camp Gruber to perform a site survey and decide what elements to include in the foot patrol.

"We wanted to include scenarios that would emphasize team work and communication toward one objective," said Staff Sgt. Nolan Endres, the 71st SFS NCO in charge of training.

The squadron commander, Maj. Douglas Whitehead, wants Airmen here to be comfortable with the shoot, move and communicate concept. Including an ambush, IED threat and building clearing scenario in the training allowed the Airmen to get familiar with the concepts.

The 71st SFS plans to make the exercise an annual event.