Photo By Audra Flanagan | U.S. Air Force Col. Brian Cooper, 177th Fighter Wing Maintenance Group commander,...... read more read more
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Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, N.J. – U.S. Air Force Col. Brian T. Cooper, 177th Fighter Wing Maintenance Group commander, along with 70 Airmen from across the United States graduated from the Air National Guard’s Cold Weather Operations Course (CWOC), at Camp Ripley Training Center, Minnesota, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 8, 2025.
The course consisted of a six-day and five-night outdoor field training exercise where Airmen were expected to operate in the snow in subzero temperatures.
“CWOC definitely ranks up there as one of the most demanding courses,” said Cooper. “Every day was a gut check for me.”
The purpose of the CWOC was to train Airmen in arctic weather essential military skills. Airmen performed extreme weather land-navigation, built improvised shelters, practiced camouflage and concealment, and executed winter fighting position and movement techniques. Airmen also performed cold-water immersion and cold-weather injury identification and treatment. For each activity, students were required to exercise risk management in an extreme environment with day-to-day challenges.
“Extreme cold weather makes everything more difficult, even the most mundane tasks,” said Cooper. “We carried a 75-pound rucksack while pulling a 350-pound sled over 40 miles through the snow – not only just surviving, but learning to excel, in subzero temperatures.”
Cooper’s participation exhibits the warfighting line-of-effort that the secretary of defense has communicated.
“I was personally invited to attend CWOC by the course’s Senior Enlisted Leader, Chief Master Sgt. Casey Erickson,” said Cooper. “The course had never had a colonel attend, and he thought I would be a good candidate to provide senior leader perspective and feedback, if I was able to graduate. I felt very honored to be able to represent my state, the Jersey Devils and Field Grade Officer Corps at the course; and was even more proud to be the first colonel to graduate.”
When trainees were issued their Extended Cold Weather Clothing System, they were instructed to remove the rank insignias from their uniforms for the remainder of the course.
“This was the first time in a very long time that I was able to break away from the formalities of being a Colonel and just be another humble trainee in the field,” said Cooper. “I was accountable utterly to my team and myself; I had to earn everything.”
The 177th Fighter Wing is dedicated to maintaining readiness and providing dominant air power whenever and wherever needed.
“If the mission requires us to fight in the Arctic; we must all be ready to brawl and winning is non-negotiable,” said Cooper. “Without question, CWOC is preparing our Airmen to be ready for that combat environment.”
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2025 16:06 |
| Story ID: | 492292 |
| Location: | EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 177th Leader Sharpens Cold-Weather Edge, Graduates Subzero Survival Course, by SrA Darion Boyd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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