Wright-Patt SFS Airmen learn shoot-move-communicate tactics

  • Published
  • By Capt. Caroline Wellman
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  More than 30 Airmen from the 88th and 445th Security Forces Squadrons here converged on a former school in downtown Columbus, Ohio, May 20 for tactical maneuvering training.

The training, taught by the Ohio State Highway Patrol Special Response Team, is designed to teach attendees safe, effective tactics for entering rooms and "clearing" buildings where a person or persons is known to be a direct threat.

After reviewing basic maneuvering techniques in two-, three- and four-man teams, Airmen ran through four scenarios requiring them to implement the skills they had learned and force them to decide and react quickly to developing threats.

"This is the second year doing this with (the Airmen from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base)," said Sgt. Matt Cleaveland, a member of the Ohio State Highway Patrol SRT. "The Air Force guys are easy to train. They have the mindset; they're action-oriented."

Airmen who attended the training in Columbus said they found the training beneficial.

"(These are) good tactics," said Staff Sgt. Krystal Vance, a desk sergeant in the 88th SFS. "Every training (course) has different ways of doing it as far as entering buildings, entering rooms, teams, stacking up. This training was a little more in-depth, like how to deal with stairways."

The training also emphasized how to think through prioritizing unknown threats -- including open doorways, closed doors, and obstacles behind which a person might hide - and communicating clearly without agency-specific jargon.

"The main difference from what we've been taught is speed," said Senior Airman Gustavo Medina, a fire team member in the 445th SFS. "Here, they're teaching us to slow down and think about what you're doing."

The 445th SFS Airmen jumped at the opportunity to participate in the training with their active-duty counterparts because the squadron will soon be teaching their own Shoot-Move-Communicate Course at the base's Prime Beef training area.

Security Forces, including active duty, Guard and Reserve, are moving to a shoot-and-move philosophy, said Master Sgt. Walt Bennett, senior Air Reserve Technician in the 445th SFS. The squadron received funding from Air Force Reserve Command to purchase equipment and Tech. Sgt. Siam Siripavaket, a 445th SFS Airman and former force reconnaissance Marine, has been building the course.

"We'll be one of the first units in the Air Force to implement it," Sergeant Bennett said.

He expects the squadron to start practicing tactics on the course in June, although he doesn't think Airmen will be able to fire on the course until August.

"We're required to fire two times per year. One of them is familiarization, which requires us to practice different (firing) positions," Sergeant Bennett said. Restrictions in place at the firing range because of live ammunition make that difficult, he says.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Web site, Special Response Team members are trained in the use of weapon and chemical agents, rapid response, and special assault and extraction techniques. The team is made up of 30 officers assigned in or around Columbus, Ohio.

In 2007, the governor of Ohio tasked the SRT to go to universities and teach their law enforcement officers methods to react in crisis situations, Sergeant Cleaveland said. So far, the team has trained more than 6,000 officers in the state.

The team started working with the 88th SFS after a member of the squadron attended an Active Shooter Training session offered by the SRT in Middletown, Ohio. Four Airmen from the 445th Airlift Wing attended the training with the 88th Air Base Wing this time.