JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - In the dense woodlands of Alaska, far from the familiarity of their home station, Airmen from the Nebraska National Guard’s 155th Security Forces Squadron honed their skills - one land navigation checkpoint, squad movement and simulation at a time.
For Tech. Sgt. Aaron Carman, assistant unit training manager, the mission was clear: Prepare defenders for the unpredictable, in a place that demands it.
"This is the DFT, which is deployed for training,” Carman said. “The goal is training, coming up here and utilizing the resources and the environment and the different areas that JBER [Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson] has that we just don't have back home. We can do land navigation, we can do squad movements, reacting to enemy fire, simulating scenarios like recovering a downed aircraft or responding to domestic operations… all the different training topics."
Alaska’s rugged terrain offers more than scenic views. It presents a less-than-forgiving, unfamiliar setting where the Airmen must adapt, improvise and execute -- which is exactly what they did, June 20-27, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
The squadron’s week-long field training integrated everything from force-on-force combat scenarios to shoot, move, and communicate drills, reinforcing warfighting fundamentals.
“With force-on-force, they’re reacting to contact, assaulting a village, coordinating as a squad all while taking sim rounds from teammates playing as opposition,” Carman said. “It gets their adrenaline going and makes the training real. It’s competitive, intense and completely immersive.”
Carman also highlighted the multiple interactive learning objectives firearms training simulator, also called the MILO simulator, which is a 300-degree virtual reality training system that hones situational awareness and marksmanship fundamentals in a controlled environment. Although not a replacement for field exercises, it complements the broader training goal of building capable and confident Airmen.
“All of this comes together to keep building our skills forward,” he said. “From virtual sims to live-fire exercises, every piece matters.”
Lt. Col. David Strom, commander of the 155th Security Forces Squadron, called the experience essential in today’s shifting military climate.
"The training that we're doing here is really important to the squadron and to the Air Force as a whole," Strom said. "We're shifting the way the Security Forces is thinking about itself."
He noted the career field is swinging back toward base defense and away from a purely law enforcement focus.
"A lot of that requires a lot of space that you can't do in a garrison,” Strom said. “So when given an opportunity to come to a place like this, it's a great time for the squadron to come together and practice skills we're going to be asked to do if we have to go do our war or fight function."
Strom, who was enlisted in the same squadron before commissioning, emphasized the strategic depth of the experience beyond the visible exercises.
“This kind of field deployment teaches Airmen, especially the young Airmen who have never deployed, how to mobilize, communicate with families, manage personal logistics and operate under pressure,” he said. “They may think they’re just training tactics, but they’re also learning to balance life as a citizen and a warrior.”
The emphasis on cross-functional capability is a recurring theme. Strom sees the Security Forces Squadron as a model for the multi-capable Airman concept.
“Security Forces brings our own comms, logistics and support. We’re a self-contained unit,” he said. “Then you add in medical technicians giving combat care classes and financial advisors teaching real-world financial readiness - you’re not just training defenders, you’re building fully capable Airmen.”
Strom and Carman both emphasized the importance of returning to core skills, particularly for traditional, part-time members of the Guard.
“Some of these skills are perishable,” Carman said. “If we don’t get in the field and do it, we lose it. This week gives us the reps we need to stay sharp.”
Strom echoed the sentiment.
“I can do a ton of training on a computer—it doesn’t mean we’re ready to fight,” Strom said. “When we bring the right training, the right message and the right mentors together, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how we build multi-capable, self-reliant Airmen ready to go downrange and deliver.”