Photo By Senior Airman DeQuan Simmons | Left, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Davon Brown, 2nd Communications Squadron...... read more read more
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As the first Air Task Forces go through the Prepare Phase of the Air Force Force Generation cycle, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center-developed Combat Support Training Ranges are helping build mission-ready Airmen.
Two ATFs recently wrapped up three weeks of initial training events at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and Fort Bliss, Texas, CSTR sites. The sites, described as "national assets" by Col. Gabriel Arrington, 12th ATF commander, offer austere training environments, equipment and infrastructure, allowing Airmen to hone in on team-focused, cross-functional training and deployment readiness.
“The dedicated range time allows us to match Airmen with the specific training they need, giving them the time and space to get the reps and sets to become proficient at their combat missions,” he said.
At Fort Bliss, the 11th ATF Combat Air Base Squadron trained on force protection tasks, including combat skills, weapons firing and base defense. Meanwhile, at Tyndall AFB, the 12th ATF CABS concentrated more on beddown, sustainment and airfield operations, said Col. Ross Dotzlaf, AFIMSC Readiness Integration chief.
CABS Airmen are essential to their ATFs by providing support in base operations, sustainment, protection and airfield management, Dotzlaf said. The training events marked the first time entire squadrons — composed of combat service support teams, or CSSTs, from multiple installations — trained together as cohesive units.
That cohesiveness builds relationships between Airmen from different CSSTs and promotes a sense of teamwork, which is essential for effective deployment, said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Nguyen, a logistics readiness officer with the 12th CSST at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
"One of the main points of these CSTR events is to bring everyone together,” she said. “We train together, we get to know each other and we build a lot of synergy with each other.”
Senior Airman Caleb Thompkins, an ammunition systems technician, found the hands-on training to be a big improvement over his previous deployment preparation.
“It's 10 times better. You're actually getting hands-on training,” he said. “You're getting lessons from the people who do these jobs in real life, and then you get to put that into practice. It's a lot more fun, that's for sure.”
AFIMSC is developing six CSTR sites to satisfy installation and mission support unit needs to train on tactics, techniques and procedures required for the high-end fight. The sites will equip commanders with the platforms and equipment needed for unit-led expeditionary training, maintaining readiness and ensuring Airmen are prepared to deploy and win future wars.
CSTR events simulate field conditions and provide ideal platforms for testing new expeditionary technology and capabilities, Dotzlaf said.
The development of CSTR sites aligns with the broader Air Force goal of transforming ATFs into deployable combat wings that will have all necessary elements stationed at the same installation, allowing them to fully train, team and deploy together under the AFFORGEN model.
“CSTR sites give these new units of action the capacity, equipment and infrastructure they need to train for their core tasks,” Dotzlaf said. “They are essential to preparing Airmen for the future fight.”
Over the past year, AFIMSC worked with key stakeholders and mission partners, hosted planning workshops, and conducted site visits to prepare for these and future events. The center also worked closely with ATF leadership teams to help plan and execute initial events, showcasing site capabilities and offering classes on planning and executing training.
As CSTR sites continue to evolve, the AFIMSC team will incorporate training-event feedback to adapt infrastructure for better ATF readiness support.
"These events are the first large-scale operations under the CSTR program,” Dotzlaf said. “We're using them to learn and improve, and the lessons we gain will help shape the future of CSTR.”
Overall, the training events were not only a valuable learning experience for the Airmen involved, but also a source of excitement and motivation, Arrington said.
"This is what Airmen join the Air Force to do. They join to defend the country,” he said. “Giving them the time to focus on combat training, to gel as a team, to become proficient as a combat unit, that's what the Air Force is about. That's where the Air Force is going, and Airmen are responding very positively and leading us in that direction."
For more information, visit www.afimsc.af.mil/CSTR.
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2024 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 486050 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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