Photo By Senior Airman Steven Cardo | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Branson Russell, right, and Staff Sgt. Macie Widener,...... read more read more
Subscribe
SUMTER, S.C. — The roar of helicopter blades cuts through the biting December air as U.S. Air Force 20th Security Forces Squadron Defenders touched down at the Poinsett Electronic Combat Range in Sumter. Their mission: to establish a robust defense of a contingency location during the first-ever multi-day Sentinel Seed exercise, Dec. 4-6.
Partnering with U.S. Army aviators, the Defenders tested their ability to adapt and overcome unexpected obstacles while supporting mission operations in an austere, contested environment. Sentinel Seed also served as a validation exercise for the unit's annual training plan, helping gather data to improve future training.
“Sentinel Seed was a means for the unit to test our combat readiness in a contested environment and evaluate our Defenders on air base defense skills they retained during our annual training,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Garrison, 20th SFS weapons and tactics section chief and exercise lead. “The 20th SFS is constantly being tasked with contingency events both in real world situations and in exercise scenarios. Sentinel Seed improves our Defenders’ understanding of mission planning and execution in order to provide the wing with a more capable defense force needed to secure our assets and personnel, no matter the location or duration.”
Thirty-one Defenders participated in the 56-hour exercise, deploying to a simulated contingency location via UH-60 Black Hawks from McEntire Joint National Guard Base. Their mission was to establish a defensive perimeter around an austere flightline to support aircraft generation, applying techniques aligned with agile combat employment concepts.
“We coordinated with the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilots based out of McEntire in South Carolina to add realism to this exercise,” said Garrison. “The location contained little to no infrastructure or physical security for our Defenders to operate with and weather analysis showed a steep decline in temperature as it plummeted to the twenties. All of these aspects ultimately tested our Defenders’ ingenuity and defense posture as well as their mental and physical conditioning.”
Garrison and other 20th SFS planners designed the exercise to hone Defenders’ skills while collecting data to identify strengths and weaknesses in training and equipment. The Airmen were challenged to adapt and overcome the unexpected, such as shifting weather and interactions with unidentified forces, strengthening Defender resilience, team communication and leadership capabilities.
“[Sentinel Seed] teaches you a lot about being a leader,” said 2nd Lt. Jaden Wilson, 20th SFS flight commander and exercise defense force commander. “We’re in a simulated combat environment where we can identify our strengths and weaknesses. It takes you out of your comfort zone where you can learn about yourself and how you react when put in stressful or difficult positions. So, as much as this was an exercise and evaluation, this was valuable training that will help all of us get better at what we do.”
By simulating real-world challenges, the exercise provided Airmen and leaders with valuable insights into the unit's capabilities and areas of improvement, ensuring its continued ability to adapt, overcome and succeed in the face of any obstacles.
The data and lessons gathered during Sentinel Seed 24-1 will inform future training and better equip the 20th SFS for future taskings. Building on this iteration, the unit plans to conduct future Sentinel Seed exercises, incorporating evolving tactics and scenarios to better prepare Defenders for the ever-changing combat environment and support the 20th Fighter Wing’s mission to project combat airpower anywhere in the world.
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2024 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 487572 |
| Location: | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 20th SFS hits the ground running in first-ever Sentinel Seed exercise, by SrA Steven Cardo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
