WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- During a two-week, scenario-based training, 16 members of the 445th Security Forces Squadron learned advanced combat, firing and driving tactics from Navy SEALs at Melrose Air Force Range, New Mexico.
“Those guys can clear an entire building without ever speaking a word,” said Staff Sgt. Tyler Cupp, fire team member. “That’s the level the SEALs are on with their skills and teamwork.”
The SEALs host the field exercise as an opportunity to hone the skills they need to train ally forces overseas. This year, the 445th SFS integrated with three other Air Force Reserve Command security forces squadrons to stand in as trainees.
“Much of the training is already very parallel to what we routinely do, but some of the other tactics the SEALs introduce we can take back to implement in our future training,” said Tech. Sgt. Michael O’Callaghan, fire team leader.
O’Callaghan also participated in Operation Trident with the Navy SEALs and the 445th SFS in 2017.
The training provides opportunities to practice with equipment not always readily available at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, like UH-60 Black Hawks, MV-22 Ospreys, Humvees, and mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles.
In one of the training segments, Cupp and others had to drive tactical vehicles through a course while completely blindfolded. To get through the course without crashing, the driver relied solely on verbal directions from the gunner up above.
“You don’t have a choice but to trust what your partner is saying,” Cupp said. “That type of communication and trust carries over into some of the really critical tasks we need to execute in our mission.”
Another main training element throughout the exercise was night operations.
“They planned elaborate, real-world scenarios with simulated towns and actors that we had to locate and engage,” said Airman 1st Class Ryan McCarty, fire team member. “We had guys diving through windows.”
The 445th Security Forces Squadron plans to attend Operation Trident with the SEALs again in future iterations.