HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah – Airman with the 75th Security Forces Squadron trained in a series of near-peer adversary field exercises in the Base Operations Readiness Training Area here from March 18-28.
The exercises charged Defender flights with an air base ground defense mission at a forward operating site during a near-peer conflict.
“The goal is to help prepare our Defenders for what battle looks like against an equal size element of near-peer enemies in an austere environment,” said Capt. Tyler Moore, 75th Security Forces Squadron operations officer. “For the last two decades we have been preparing and training to fight unconventional forces. As our threat spectrum changes, so should our training.”
Defender teams began the exercise with basic operations orders independent of a traditional security forces command structure to establish base defense sectors.
Follow-on orders and scenario “injects” prompted foot patrols, land navigation, rescue missions, initiating appropriate security countermeasures, and responding to and neutralizing threats to the FOS.
The squadron conducted an individual field training exercise for each of its five flights to test a wide range of skills.
Airmen from the 75th Medical Group also participated in the exercise and sixty volunteers from across the 75th Air Base Wing supported the exercise roleplaying the opposing force.
“We incorporated the medical team to assist with care under fire scenarios to help make the exercise as realistic as possible,” Moore said. “Additionally, we use a large pool of volunteer opposing forces from around the wing to provide a higher quality experience. We simply could not pull off a realistic scenario without the support of those volunteers.”