Photo By Airman 1st Class Joseph Curzi | Airman Michael Connolly, 14th Security Forces Squadron Airmen, sights in on a target...... read more read more
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE. Miss. -- The 14th Flying Training Wing, 14th Security Forces Squadron executed a 72-hour field training deployment exercise, pushing the limits of readiness and innovation in direct response to the demands of the evolving global security environment.
Held in an austere environment designed to mirror real-world conditions, the exercise tested the Defenders’ ability in a deployment setting to establish a base defense operating center and sustained continuous defense in a contested setting. The training emphasized mobility, communications, reconnaissance, and mission sustainment with limited resources and manpower, core capabilities essential for modern conflict environments.
“As a security forces enterprise our mission set is changing,” said Capt. Maxwell Laguna, 14th Security Forces Squadron operations officer. “We need to be able to meet the emerging threats that are coming our way, and it won’t be with the same tactics and procedures we used during the Global War on Terrorism.”
Throughout the 72 hours, Defenders were required to operate in small six-to-eight-member teams on rotating shifts to secure different objectives and perform base defense tasks. Security Forces Airmen and K-9 military working dogs engaged simulated enemy combatants, planned and executed raids and assaults, located ambush points and navigated tactical ruck marches aligning with the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept.
“Giving Airmen more time behind their weapon system is important for a war with a near-peer threat,“ said Staff Sgt. Dylan Mckenna, 14th Security Forces Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge, “We are going to be tasked to be a ground support element securing airfields downrange, so projecting our combat air power starts with us.”
Mckenna explained that the immersive training environment provided valuable experience for Security Forces Airmen to enhance their tactical proficiency and strengthen their ability to perform in challenging environments.
“Using the ACE model and concepts, the focus of this training is putting some pressure on them (Defenders),” said Laguna. “Establishing the continuity of training and getting back to what it means to be a Defender is a big priority of ours.”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2025 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 496344 |
| Location: | COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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