916th cops train to prepare for deployment

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Scott Mathews
  • 916 ARW/PA
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, NC --  About 40 members of the 916th Security Forces Squadron spent twelve days in the woods ensuring they were prepared for their deployment to Iraq later this year.

Along with other security forces squadrons from Niagara Falls, NY and Andrews Air Force Base, MD, 916th SFS members spent this training time, called Patriot Defender, at a training facility at Camp Swift, near Austin, Texas.

These squadrons who trained together will be deployed together within the next few months.

"It's nice training with these guys that we will be deployed with. It gets us familiar with each other and the ways we do business," said Maj. Jeffrey Poupart, 916th SFS Commander.

Security forces members are required to go through Patriot Defender prior to deployment or every three years.

"These are perishable skills, they must be done often to maintain proper execution," said Senior Master Sgt. John Givner, Patriot Defender Instructor. "We need to make sure they are refreshed on the right skills for going into combat zones."

Major Poupart said, "It's fortunate that the instructors know exactly where we are going so they could tailor our instruction for the area we are being deployed to."

The training was broken down into three phases.

Phase I consisted of mostly classroom training. "This is done during the first week and is taught in the classroom, these are vital skill sets that need to be talked about," said Sergeant Givner.

"The classroom training covered almost every aspect of airbase defense, it was great information," said Major Poupart.

Phase II covered close quarter combat operations. "Most people know this as urban operations," said Sergeant Givner. "This is very deployment location specific."

The 916th SFS commander said that many of the participants enjoyed this part of the training the best. He said that shooting 'simunitions' is like playing paintball but the bullet comes out of the gun about three times faster and hurts a lot more.

Phase III is the field training exercise. This is a 60 hour field training exercise broken down into three segments: sector defense, mounted operations and dismounted operations.

Sector defense is guarding the perimeter of the base to ensure proper procedures are met while guarding the base or if it is attacked. The Patriot Defender support staff 'attacked' the base and caused problems outside the gate.

The instructors explained the mounted operations consisted of going out on convoys with vehicles and having to deal with attacks and Improvised Explosive Devices.

The dismounted operations consisted of groups going out on foot patrol outside of the base also with these same types of scenarios.

"This is where a group goes out on recon mission to secure the base, a lot of hiking through the woods and mud," said Sergeant Givner.

"This group did great in every phase, they know what they're doing and they treated the training the way it needed to be treated," added Sergeant Givner.

"We are as ready as we can be, the battle drills we went over helped the groups come together and accomplish the mission," said Major Poupart.