Tennessee ANG Unit Gains Diverse Training at NS16

Photo By David Kujawa | Airmen with the 118th Security Forces Squadron, Tennessee Air National Guard, participate in a series of drills while at the Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain training facility at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center during Northern Strike 16, Aug. 12, 2016. Northern Strike 16 is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting approximately 5,000 Army, Air Force, Marine, and Special Forces service members from 20 states and three coalition countries during the first three weeks of August 2016 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in northern Michigan. The exercise strives to provide accessible, readiness-building opportunities for military units from all service branches to achieve and sustain proficiency in conducting mission command, air, sea, and ground maneuver integration, and the synchronization of fires in a joint, multinational, decisive action environment. (Michigan National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Kujawa/Released)  

MI, UNITED STATES

08.13.2016

Story by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Heaton 

Michigan National Guard

“Working with the 5th Special Forces team at Northern Strike – there is no more current, no more high speed training than working with them,” said Chief Master Sgt. Dan Kellum, superintendent of the 118th Security Forces Squadron, which is based in Nashville.
The Airmen from the 118th are engaging in several missions during Northern Strike 2016, a large scale military exercise based at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center and the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, both in northern Michigan.
The unit began by providing flight line security at Alpena, serving as “students” for the Special Forces team and providing security for various distinguished visitors at the exercise’s various venues.
“We even had a few members of our Inspector General team from back home who were here, using this exercise as a chance to review our operations. We’re really maximizing this opportunity,” said Kellum.
Tech. Sgt. Keith Lester, a member of the 118th SFS, said the training benefits the airmen of the unit by giving them an opportunity to experience different aspects of their career field.
“We’re on the go, doing a lot of different things,” he said. “So we’re being exposed to things that some people have never done before and adding to their skill levels.”
Northern Strike 16 is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting approximately 5,000 Army, Air Force, Marine, and Special Forces service members from 20 states and three coalition countries during the first three weeks of August 2016 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in northern Michigan. The exercise strives to provide accessible, readiness-building opportunities for military units from all service branches to achieve and sustain proficiency in conducting mission command, air, sea, and ground maneuver integration, and the synchronization of fires in a joint, multinational, decisive action environment.

• Date Taken: 08.13.2016
• Date Posted: 08.14.2016 09:17
• Story ID: 207052
• Location: MI, US