FORT BENNING, Ga. – Air National Guard Security Forces defenders enhanced air base ground defense tactics, techniques and procedures under austere, constrained field conditions during the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment certification exercise at Fort Benning, May 11-22.
As the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment completed its certification event ahead of real-world tasking, Security Forces defenders independently planned and executed airfield defense operations in support of the exercise, serving as the opposing force while Army Rangers conducted one of their primary mission sets: airfield seizure operations.
“The main objective of this training event is to prepare the Rangers to certify so they can go and do their deployed mission,” said Maj. Michael La Placa, 146th Security Forces Squadron commander, California Air National Guard. “We also have our own training objectives, which include sharpening our sword and ensuring our individual defenders feel more comfortable with their own tactics, techniques and procedures.”
The exercise included Security Forces defenders from the 102nd Intelligence Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard; the 105th Airlift Wing and 106th Rescue Wing, New York Air National Guard; the 133rd Airlift Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard; the 161st Air Refueling Wing, Arizona Air National Guard; and the 184th Wing, Kansas Air National Guard.
“That’s the beauty of the Air National Guard, and this is exactly what we would do downrange,” said La Placa. “We bring together people with different experiences, leadership abilities and rank structures because they all share the same baseline training. It is a great experience, especially for our newer defenders who may not have deployed yet.”
In the first phase of the training, defenders participated in a multi-day opposing force academy, completing a week of training that included small-unit tactics, live-fire ranges, small unmanned aerial systems, or sUAS, and counter-sUAS familiarization and mission planning. Defenders received instruction from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Counter Threat Home Station Training Team.
Participants were expected to independently plan and make decisions while defending an austere airfield against battalion-sized assaults by the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment using simunition rounds.
“We’ve been focusing on the fundamentals of air base ground defense using a crawl, walk, run method,” said Tech. Sgt. Mitchell Lamoureux, a 102nd Security Forces Squadron defender. “The training resources and environment here are very different from what we have in Massachusetts, and we’re able to bring this training back to strengthen our home units.”
In the second phase, defenders deployed to an austere airfield and conducted a weeklong full-mission profile focused on point defense under field conditions. The exercise was conducted without running water, and logistics were resupplied in a manner similar to operations at an austere contingency location.
“This training out here has helped us, working with other units and learning how they do things,” said Tech. Sgt. Zachary Trissell, 161st Security Forces Squadron flight chief. “As warfighters, in future situations we are going to have to be multi-capable and be able to attack dynamic situations, and we will pull from knowledge that we have learned from other units.”