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Special Warfare Training Wing Dedicates New Tactical Training Facility to Fallen Special Warfare Airman

Tuesday, October 19th, 2021

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-CHAPMAN TRAINING ANNEX, Texas –

The Special Warfare Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio dedicated their newest tactical training facility to fallen teammate Maj. Walter David Gray at the JBSA-Chapman Training Annex Oct. 8, 2021.

”We are honored and touched that the TACP community remembers him in this way,” said Maj. Gray’s oldest daughter, Nyah, when offering remarks about the event. “While we will never forget him or the example he led, it can often feel as if we are the only ones left who do remember.

“The TACP community has been so kind to us; they have put together event after event and have given us every opportunity to learn about the man they knew through the stories spread amongst the brotherhood,” she added. “We are ever thankful for their contribution to the continuance of his legacy, and are, once again, honored to be cared for so well.”

Gray, a Tactical Air Control Party air liaison officer, who was assigned to the 13th Air Support Operational Squadron at Fort Carson, Colorado, was killed in action Aug. 8, 2012, during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was killed that day by the second of two suicide bombers in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. After the first blast, Gray and his team rushed to the scene to help when the second blast went off.

“If Dave were sitting here today, he would say this is silly … and would be embarrassed that we are making such a fuss over him,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew McMurtry, 353rd SW Training Squadron commander. “That’s how humble he was. So, in typical TACP fashion, let’s make a big fuss over Dave! Remember him today, celebrate him, and honor the legacy he left within our community!”

The 353rd Special Warfare Training Squadron requested the dedication of the facility and Lt. Gen. Marshall B. Webb, commander of Air Education and Training Command, approved the memorialization of the SWTW Tactical Training Facility, now the Gray Tactical Training Facility in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in scheduling the ceremony.

“This facility is central to the migration of Special Warfare training to the JBSA-Chapman Training Annex. It’s already used extensively by our TACP candidates,” said Col. Mason R. Dula, SWTW commander. “Looking to the near future, it will enable training events for all Special Warfare candidates as our preparatory and assessment and selection courses will shift from JBSA-Lackland to JBSA-Chapman Training Annex.”

The outdoor tactical training facility is made up of an athletic field, strength and conditioning areas, sandpits and restrooms. It supports JBSA Special Warfare training, including courses of initial entry, non-prior service enlisted Pararescue, Combat Control, Special Reconnaissance, and Tactical Air Control Party students.

Additionally, it supports the Pararescue Phase II selection course and multiple Special Warfare officer courses to include Air Liaison Officer, Special Tactics Officer, and Combat Rescue Officer courses for themselves and their Guard/Reserve/prior service counterparts.

The wing commander reiterated the importance of honoring the fallen during his remarks.

“Events like these are part of the cultural bedrock of the Special Warfare community. We are committed to honoring our fallen teammates, lost in combat and training,” Dula said. “We are convinced the best way to keep them from becoming just pictures on the walls of our buildings, or names etched in stone on unit memorials, is to tell stories to do our best to keep the memories of our teammates alive in our formation.”

“While his memory lives on with us, it is an entirely different feeling altogether when others join in on our remembrance,” Nyah said. “No matter the circumstances, it always means the world to us to see that others still care, that they loved him too.

McMurtry, Gray’s best friend, spoke of the dedication it takes to become a TACP.

“Most Airmen don’t consider volunteering for TACP and attempting the 106 TACP training days. ’Dave’ completed this schoolhouse as an enlisted Airman in 1996, and became an officer, he repeated the schoolhouse and graduated a second time in 2011 with Raptor Zero One,” he said. “I’ve served 16 of my 20 years in the Air Force as a TACP, enlisted and officer. Through all the stories and the people that knew Dave, I have yet to hear someone say anything negative about him. He was the TACP everyone wants to be!”

An Air Force Tactical Air Control Party Airman is part of Air Force Special Warfare which consists of ground combat forces specialized in airpower application across hostile, denied, or diplomatically or politically sensitive environments. Special Warfare members provide global access, precision strike, and personnel recovery capabilities across the spectrum of conflict and the multi-domain battlefield.

By Andrew C. Patterson 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

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NASCAR Visits Air Force Special Warfare at Pope Army Air Field

Thursday, October 14th, 2021

POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, N.C. —

NASCAR driver, Erik Jones, visits the 352nd Special Warfare Training Squadron to better understand how Special Warfare Airmen are trained and developed at Pope Army Airfield, September 29, 2021. The visit is part of the U.S. Air Force Recruiting Service’s sponsorship of Richard Petty Motorsports with a presence on the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, established early January.

“This is my first time coming around Special Warfare, I met some great men and women, here [352nd SWTS],” said Jones. “It’s cool to see the history of the program, where it started from, and how it was built into what it is today.”

The 352nd SWTS trains, mentors, and develops Special Tactics Officer (STO), Combat Control Team (CCT), and Special Reconnaissance (SR) students in foundational skills to prepare for global employment across the range of Special Warfare.

Jones toured the Chief Master Sgt. “Bull” Benini Heritage center and Museum, training facilities, and donned AFSPECWAR gear used by STOs, CCTs, and SR Airmen, to include weapons and protective vests used in combat operations.

“We’re proud to showcase the history and capabilities of the 352nd SWTS to Erik Jones,” said Maj. Nate Smith, 352nd SWTS commander. “In the SW training community we train Airmen to project Airpower for the USAF. We project our nation’s capability around the world, anytime, anyplace for global access, personnel recovery, precision strike, and humanitarian missions.”

Jones met with Human Performance Squadron strength coaches and took part in an operational-stress workout that incorporates functional fitness into SW Airmen’s fitness skillsets. Events like this combined workout and stress shoot test SW Airmen’s ability to move, shoot, and perform tactical skills in a simulated high-stress environment. It consisted of a warm-up, a five-exercise circuit followed by firing a M249 light machine gun loaded with paint-simulation rounds, and executing a simulation course of fire with an M4 and 9mm pistol for time.

“The coolest part was taking part in the physical training and shooting. Obviously the PT was tough, but just getting a small glimpse of what these guys go through in physical training, but also just getting to be part of it side-by-side with these guys was really cool,” said Jones.

Lastly, leaders, instructors, students, and Jones gathered at the fallen hero memorial outside of the squadron building to conduct memorial push-ups honoring the 11th anniversary of Senior Airman Mark Forrester’s death and other fallen SW Airmen. SrA Forester was killed in action while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Uruzgon Province, Afghanistan, September 29, 2010 and posthumously awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions.

“We do memorial pushups as a unit together sounding off, loud and proud, to honor our fallen and remember them,” said Smith. “Jones participated in the event where we told Mark Forester’s story by reading his medal citations and telling his story to the team and students so we can always remember his legacy and sacrifice for liberty, and our nation.”

Jones will have a Special Warfare inspired paint scheme at his next race in the Superspeedway held at Talladega, Alabama, Oct. 3, 2021.

“Number one, thank you for your service,” said Jones. “It’s brutal. It’s not something every person can do. I respect anybody that gets in the [SWTW] pipeline and completes the training and comes out the other side. That’s a huge honor and something that I don’t think anyone can take lightly, so thank you.”

Additionally, AFRS will deploy the Activate: Special Warfare, a virtual reality trailer, during the race to give users an opportunity to experience an intense firefight in a deployed location between Special Warfare operators and enemy combatants. The trailer features five identical user bays, each equipped with technology for the visitors to use, that assess the user’s composure, observation, reaction and effectiveness while playing the game.

Candidates interested in learning more about U.S. Air Force Special Warfare career opportunities, can go to: www.airforce.com/careers/in-demand-careers/special-warfare.

By Nicholas J. De La Pena, Special Warfare Training Wing

Posted in AFSW, Air Force, Guest Post | 2 Comments »

Answering the Call: Special Tactics Airmen Conclude Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

Saturday, September 18th, 2021

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla.– Special Tactics Airmen assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing concluded their response to augment humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti on Sept. 2, 2021 following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which hit the country Aug. 14.

The Special Tactics Airmen were alerted on the morning of Aug. 16 that they would augment Joint Task Force-Haiti relief efforts. With the help of C-146A Wolfhound aircrews, assigned to the 492nd and 919th Special Operations Wings, the team touched down in Port Au Prince, Haiti within 36 hours.

“We landed at Port Au Prince and were pretty removed from the epicenter of the earthquake, but once we got out to certain areas that had been cut off by the earthquake and seeing the MEDEVAC patients coming in at Port Au Prince that were suffering from crush injuries…it definitely hit home,” said the Special Tactics Officer and lead for the ST response team. “It peaked our awareness for the severity of the situation and need for assistance. It made us eager to get out to the landing zones for us to start doing our part and hopefully establish an airfield so we could bring out more supplies to those people.”

The Special Tactics team, consisting of five combat controllers and one pararescueman, were primarily responsible for surveying Jeremie and Les Cayes airfields for suitability of landing fixed wing aircraft. The airfields were located in parts of the country that had been cut off by landslides and damaged roads from a storm following the earthquake. The operators quickly assessed the landing zones, conducted a proof of concept by successfully landing a C-146A at one of the airfields and made recommendations to JTF-Haiti. However, while performing this task, the Special Tactics team was strategically positioned and equipped to assist in an emergency scenario.

“While we were conducting our survey at Les Cayes, some [non-government organization] members came up to us and mentioned there were some patients a 10 minute flight away in the mountains,” said the STO. “There were two children with crush injuries that needed to get medical attention immediately and we were able to dynamically task our forces at that survey site to coordinate with JTF-Haiti, the aircrew and work with the NGO to find the exact location of those patients and evacuate them to a higher level of care.”

In addition to being positioned and ready for medical evacuations, the team worked to assist Haitian air traffic controllers providing advisory calls in different areas and assisted with deliveries of humanitarian aid supplies in more than 10 remote locations across the country.

“You see the kids running up and obviously they’re excited to see you and to see the U.S. military because they know we’re going to help,” said the STO. “I’m super thankful for the opportunity and proud that my team was a part of it and that we were able to do a multitude of things to help get the aid and supplies needed to the people of Haiti.”

The humanitarian mission also served as a training opportunity for the team in interoperability and how to collaborate with several organizations trying to achieve the same goal by maximizing everyone’s capabilities.

“It was a very educational experience working alongside not only joint partners from the DOD, as well as USAID, the lead agency for the relief efforts,” said the STO. “We got to learn what they did and they got to learn what we do. The big takeaway for Special Tactics is our flexibility and the different capabilities we bring to a problem set like humanitarian aid disaster relief. We were there to conduct surveys and were prepared to establish airfields, receive aircraft, land them and deliver supplies in an expeditious manner. When circumstances changed, we were able to conduct a MEDEVAC as well as go out alongside other entities and help facilitate their mission using our tools and capabilities. We were able to be pretty dynamic.”

In recent years, Special Tactics Airmen alongside other Air Force Special Operations Command units have responded to several natural disasters including Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Honduras, Hurricane Michael in Florida and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.

Special Tactics Airmen train constantly to execute global access, precision strike, personnel recovery and battlefield surgery operations across the spectrum of conflict and crisis. As experts in air-ground integration, ST Airmen have the ability to assess, open, and control major airfields to clandestine dirt strips as well as lead complex rescue operations in any environment.

For more information on Air Force Special Tactics visit our website, www.airforcespecialtactics.af.mil

By By Capt Alejandra Fontalvo, 24th SOW, PAO

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38 RQS Trains to Support SpaceX, Boeing

Friday, September 3rd, 2021

PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) —

Pararescuemen, aircrew flight equipment Airmen and maritime operations specialists assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, conducted rescue training in the Banana River and Atlantic Ocean near Patrick Space Force Base, Aug. 23-27.

The 38th RQS Blue Team performed free fall jumps and equipment drops into water to prepare for potential operations supporting the SpaceX human spaceflight program and Boeing’s spaceflight program as well as other immediate response-force operations.

“When astronauts are doing their launches, we cover down in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean,” said Tech. Sgt. Michael Galindo, 38th RQS pararescueman and Blue Team section chief. “That way, if they have an emergency and they need a bailout, we’re the rescue team on-site who would recover them from their capsule.”

In the event of a malfunction during launch, the capsule will detach itself from the rocket and jettison away from potential explosions or other hazards. The goal is for the capsule to land in an ocean where pararescue jumpers can go in and extract anyone on board.

In order to execute this type of rescue operation, the team needs to be proficient in several areas. For starters, they need to know how to safely land in the ocean with their water gear. Additionally, there are two different boat packages they need to be familiar with: a Rigging Alternate Method Boat, or RAMB, which is a deflated Combat Rubber Raiding Craft that can be dropped by parachute into the water and then inflated upon landing; and a hard duck, which is an inflated CRRC fixed to a wooden base and dropped by parachute as well.

Using these packages, Galindo said their team can load the boats with medical supplies, paddles, boat engines and anything else they would need for their rescue operations. Then, the team can drop them from cargo aircraft and jump into the drop zone immediately after to conduct their rescue mission.

“In October, we’re actually doing two weeks of additional training at Cape Canaveral to learn how to access the SpaceX and Boeing capsules … and then make sure we can get access to the astronauts,” said Capt. Trent Vonich, 38th RQS Blue Team flight commander.

Conducting these training exercises on a routine basis ensures the teams are ready to go at a moment’s notice. This level of proficiency offers a layer of comfort for the astronauts conducting launches off the coast.

“It reassures them that if they do have an emergency, they know there’s a team who is highly trained in these types of rescues,” Galindo said. “It’s important for us to constantly keep current on this type of jump because there’s a lot that goes into it.”

While this training was specifically tailored to support the human spaceflight programs, it doubles as preparation for potential rescue operations in contingency locations.

“The top two locations in which that would occur would be the Arabian Gulf and the South China Sea,” Vonich said. “Adversaries have a number of capabilities that could potentially put one of our aircraft in the water, and we would have to go jump into the gulf or sea and do exactly what we did in today’s training.”

Whether rescuing downed pilots off foreign coasts or supporting rocket launches in the U.S., the 38th RQS could not execute their mission without trusted teamwork.

“It’s a lot of work being a pararescueman,” Galindo said. “I’m surrounded by a bunch of great people who are constantly challenging me. We have those who are always trying to improve themselves, whether mentally or physically, and it just drives me to be a better person and reach my potential.”

SpaceX plans to launch a crew of three Oct. 31, and the team will be prepared to respond if needed.

“Heaven forbid anything goes wrong, we’ll be ready if it does,” Vonich said.

Story and photos by SSgt Devin Boyer, 23rd Wing Public Affairs

Additional photos by SSgt Melanie A. Bulow-Gonterman

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Air Force Declares TACP Mobile Communications System ‘Combat Ready’

Wednesday, September 1st, 2021

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. – The U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command recently declared the initial operational capability for the tactical air control party mobile communications system block 2 system ‘combat ready’ at the recommendation of the 605th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida.

In the spring of 2020, the 605th TES TACP Element, in conjunction with the 14th Air Support Operations Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, conducted the operational utility evaluation, or OUE, of the MCS block 2 on M-1165 armored high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles.

As Air Combat Command’s independent, sole, command and control operational test unit, the 605th TES, tested the system under realistic conditions, using new and experienced Airmen, who will be operating and maintaining the system once fielded.

The OUE validated the operational effectiveness and suitability of MCS block 2, cybersecurity and resiliency, and its impact on TACP and air support operations center tactics, techniques, and procedures.

M1165 HMMWVs, better known as humvees, are integrated with multi-channel communications equipment through the MCS block 2 system which provides voice, data, and video capabilities to TACP Joint Terminal Attack Controllers while “on-the-move” and “at-the-halt”.

“This new system gives TACPs greater mission flexibility by incorporating additional data link, full motion video, and high frequency radio capabilities while out in the field,” said Master Sgt. Jesus Torres, 605th TES senior enlisted leader and TACP.

JTACS will use MCS Block 2 to perform their close air support and command and control missions.

To achieve IOC, the MCS Block 2 system demonstrated the necessary combat capability for voice and video communications and had sufficient required fielding and logistics support.

“Through early involvement and by building relationships across the acquisition process the 605th TES was instrumental in providing early user feedback,” said Torres. “During early DoD [Department of Defense] COVID Guidance, the 605th TES TACPs developed risk mitigation measures enabling regression testing to continue during the pandemic which allowed this vital capability be delivered to the warfighter five months ahead of schedule.”

“As our service takes positive steps to mature Agile Combat Employment concepts, through years of being disaggregated and embracing Mission Command, the TACP community is best positioned to inform the larger enterprise on what technology could be beneficial, said Col. Adam Shelton, 505th Test and Training Group commander. “This IOC declaration will assist in furthering our integration efforts with joint partners in venues such as the Army’s Project Convergence or in tier 1 exercises such as Northern Edge.”

As of August 2021, the 605th TES continues to accelerate change by conducting operational testing on the MCS Block 3, installed on the U.S. Army’s next-generation Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle as a replacement for the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier family of vehicles.

505th Command and Control Wing (ACC) Public Affairs

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Special Tactics Airmen augment Haiti earthquake humanitarian relief efforts

Thursday, August 19th, 2021

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla.– Special Tactics Airmen assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing are currently responding to a request to augment humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 14.

The Special Tactics Airmen responding to the relief efforts will be working with Joint Task Force-Haiti under Rear Admiral Keith Davids, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command South. While in country, the ST Airmen will be responsible for conducting various airfield surveys to determine suitability for bringing in humanitarian aid via airlift. Special Tactics teams are also postured and ready to establish airfield operations and conduct air traffic control if necessary.

“Our Special Tactics Airmen are trained and ready for a number of humanitarian missions that we may be called upon to accomplish,” said Col. Jason Daniels, 24th Special Operations Wing commander. “Our teams are looking forward to providing assistance to the people of Haiti while working alongside our joint teammates in U.S. Southern Command in support of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.”

In recent years, Special Tactics Airmen have responded to several natural disasters including Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Honduras, Hurricane Michael in Florida and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.

Special Tactics Airmen fall under Air Force Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command and are trained to execute global access, precision strike, personnel recovery and battlefield surgery operations across the spectrum of conflict. Special Tactics operators are experts in air-ground integration and have the ability to assess, open, and control major airfields to clandestine dirt strips in any environment.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

For more information on Air Force Special Tactics visit our website, www.airforcespecialtactics.af.mil

Posted in AFSW, Air Force, Guest Post, SOF | 1 Comment »

Preparation in the Face of the Unexpected – How USAF SERE Educates Military Members

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan —

In efforts to prepare and protect the Air Force’s most valuable resource of all — Airmen — survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialists undergo extensive training to make certain aircrew members are up to date with the latest on survival and evasion tactics. The tactics taught give Airmen skills to aid in their survival in worst-case scenarios.

The SERE specialists have to be experts in their profession in order to teach tactics and procedures effectively. To accomplish this they must complete rigorous training at technical school and pass the certification phase that follows.

The process for becoming a SERE specialist begins with a three-week-selection course, followed by a six-month technical school, which includes a three-week survival crash course that pilots and aircrew take to become operational, explained Tech. Sgt. Casey Carter, 18th Operations Support Squadron NCO in charge of SERE training. Once they successfully complete their technical school, they then go through a 6-12 month certification phase.

“When you’re certifying for those 6-12 months, you’re actually teaching aircrew and pilots that are coming through the schoolhouse and you have a trainer that’s evaluating you as an instructor,” Carter said. “Once certified, you’re on your own, and you get your own class of aircrew and pilots to take into the woods and instruct.”

Both Tech. Sgt. Kenji Scouton, 18th OSS NCO in charge of SERE operations, and Carter now lead the refresher courses on Kadena, recertifying pilots and aircrew members on the fundamentals of survival.

“It’s been interesting, I’ve seen some students I taught at the schoolhouse at Fairchild come through and get stationed out here,” Scouton said. “So I’ve had some guys be my students multiple times, whether it be in the initial course or the refresher courses.”

The refresher courses taught by SERE specialists include many classes such as combat survival training, conduct after capture training, water survival training and emergency parachute training. The training sessions typically begin with a few hours of lecture, followed by real-life application of the newly obtained knowledge.

The real-life applications vary for each lesson so preparation and execution can take hours. One of the more involved exercises, combat survival training, starts at sunset and goes until students are rescued, which can sometimes be as late as midnight.

“We put students through an invasion and navigation scenario that culminates in their successful recovery at the end of it,” Scouton said. “With a two-man shop, we have to play many parts. We go from teaching the class to kicking off the survival scenario, then from trying to catch them to trying to recover them. We try to provide them with what could look like real-world information so if the real event does happen, so they would at least be familiar with the steps it would take to be successfully recovered.”

Many factors make Kadena’s SERE team’s courses unique. Not only do they have to take into account the island life environment, but they also have to contend with the variety of aircraft and missions based out of here. This means the local SERE specialists have to be well versed in the specific gear that accompanies each aircraft.

“With each one of the refresher training courses, we have to tailor training to particular aircraft and the equipment they have,” Scouton said. “Being that we have fighter ejection seat aircraft, heavy aircraft and rotary-wing aircraft, we have to carry a multitude of different equipment to make sure we are meeting the needs of each person.”

During deployments, the main mission for SERE is personnel recovery. This entails working with PR assets directly, getting in contact with isolated personnel, guiding them to recovery and finally reintegrating the recovered personnel into their regular day-to-day life.

“Reintegration takes place in three phases. Everyone goes through phase one. If they are psychologically and medically cleared, then they are fit to fight again.” Carter said. “Phase two and three go deeper, and require more rehabilitation and frequent visits with medical and psychological professionals.”

Although their schedules are usually packed with training and refresher courses, the SERE specialists find enjoyment with their roles on island.

“Some may perceive it as a difficulty, but since we have so many different types of aircraft and missions on Kadena, it gives us a good opportunity to actually teach all the available refresher trainings,” Scouton said. “It’s really provided us with a lot of opportunities that you wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere.”

By A1C Cesar J. Navarro, 18th Wing Public Affairs

Posted in AFSW, Air Force, Guest Post, SERE | 4 Comments »

Air Force Special Warfare Training Wing’s Human Performance Squadron Reaches Milestone

Tuesday, July 13th, 2021

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-CHAPMAN TRAINING ANNEX, Texas—The Special Warfare Human Performance Squadron, SWHPS, recently marked its second anniversary.

The SWHPS is the first squadron of its kind in the Department of Defense, and its sole purpose is to provide Special Warfare Airmen and cadre embedded/holistic Human Performance, HP support.

“We reached our two-year milestone as a squadron and I cannot tell you how immensely proud I am of the team,” said Lt. Col. Shawnee A. Williams, SWHPS, commander. “With all of the hard work done to stand up the SWHPS, I am excited to see this capability propel forward every day!”

The SWHPS mission statement is to optimize the performance, durability, and sustainability of the Special Warfare human weapon system by taking an interdisciplinary approach toward the advancement of science and technology throughout the SW operator’s lifespan.

The organizational structure is made up of five geographically separated units, GSU, across the United States coast-to-coast. Within this construct are nine human performance flights supporting 80 Special Warfare cadre, 500 support staff, and 1,100 Special Warfare students annually.

“Our team sets the foundation for building physically superior, mentally sharper, and spiritually stronger warriors who will go into harm’s way to tackle our nation’s most dangerous and difficult tasks,” said Col. George Buse, Special Warfare Human Performance Support Group, commander. “To this end, SWHPS focuses on being brilliant at instilling HP principles in SW Airmen. We also leverage technological advances, research capabilities, and a holistic approach for the sake of further integrating and professionalizing the SW training enterprise,” said Buse.

Some key accomplishments of the SWHPS include standing up the first SW Human Performance purpose-built facility and hence named the Airman 1st Class Baker Combat Conditioning Center at the Panama City Dive School, Panama City, Florida. This facility occupies 13K square feet, $1.3 million in performance equipment, and serves a joint population of cadre and students with over 700K annual course hours.

At GSU location Yuma, Arizona, the first-ever embedded physical therapist for Army and Air Force personnel position has been established to increase access to care for evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and injury prevention services for trainees and support staff members at Military Free Fall Courses.

Educationally, SWHPS has established a location at the U.S. Air Force Academy and took on their USAF Physical Therapy Fellowship Program for the Air Force Medical Service, and propelled it forward (was not under the old Battle Field Airmen Model). The Fellowship program has since graduated eight fellows with three more due to graduate in 2021 and has secured national accreditation.

Additionally, SWHPS has established a human performance footprint, across the training pipeline that employs integrated wearable technology, along with HP technician support. This footprint enables SWHPS to track parasympathetic/sympathetic system output, sleep, musculoskeletal health, velocity-based training, and water-based event metrics to include heart rate and physiological data points.

“Another first of its kind is the HP portfolio integration with the Learning Management System/database. The integration will soon provide continuity between training and operational units,” Williams said. “This allows for a human performance portfolio to travel with each member throughout their Special Warfare career.”

The Squadron’s Nutrition SMEs created the first stand-alone performance dining facility and now oversee all menus in support of the Special Warfare Preparatory Program. “It provides a much-needed ‘learning lab for trainees when they first enter Special Warfare,” said Maj. Miriam Seville, the lead dietitian for the Special Warfare Training Wing. “The trainees get to practice the sports nutrition principles that they learn in class and experiment with a wide variety of healthful foods and beverages that fuel and sustain optimal performance.

“This dining facility introduces trainees to what fueling the Human Weapon System can and should look like, and enables them to build habits here that will support them throughout their training and into operational status,” she said.

In November of 2020, the SWHPS graduated the first Air Force Institute of Technology Performance Nutrition Fellow, who now brings world-class nutrition capability, guidance, and knowledge to Special Warfare programming.

Williams added a final thought on the accomplishments of the program, “Over the past two years, SWHPS has set the foundation for an integrated approach to building and maintaining a human weapon system. We have taken a purposeful and tailored approach to embedded HP and coupled it with real-time physiological feedback to the trainees and are also expanding care to the cadre,” she said.

“The future of this organization will be to shape not only Air Force, but DOD policy to enable a lifecycle platform for the SW operator. The SW Airmen will not just experience high-level/holistic HP support in the training pipeline, but rather, they will see it woven into their career field education and training plans, and expanded services offered in their operational units,” she said. “This then lends itself to the creation or standup of a human weapon system program office just like we have for our hardware.

“We are truly on the cusp of a cohesive training environment where physiological, cognitive, and resiliency elements are assessed weekly, if not daily, to propel the individual to their highest potential versus a binary reactive environment,” Williams concluded.

Members of the Special Warfare Training Wing provide initial training for all U.S. Air Force Special Warfare training AFSCs, to include, Combat Controllers, Pararescue, Special Reconnaissance, and Tactical Air Control Party Airmen.

To learn more about SR Airmen or other U.S. Air Force Special Warfare career opportunities, go to: www.airforce.com/careers/in-demand-careers/special-warfare.

By Andrew C. Patterson, Special Warfare Training Wing/ Public Affairs

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