Photo By Tech. Sgt. Bradley Tipton | Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake Goff, Integrated Defense Leadership Course fire team leader,...... read more read more
Youngstown ARS, Ohio – Defenders from the 927th Security Forces Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., completed the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, July 14 through July 28, 2025, at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio and Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center. The 927th SFS defenders joined Reserve Airmen from California, New York, and even maintainers serving as security forces augmentees from Youngstown ARS, fulfilling their two-week annual training requirement and gaining valuable skills in land navigation, tactical combat casualty care, combatives, live fire, tactical movements and base defense.
Based around Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concepts, the course prepares defenders to fight and win in future conflict by arming them with the skills necessary to defeat an equally trained and equipped adversary. Cadre even select opposing forces from the same group of defenders and typically choose those who’ve experienced the course before to further increase the challenge for participants.
“No one is better to test you than the guys who know your processes,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua Leggett, IDLC course chief.
“That’s why we pick our own defenders to play opposing forces. They know what you’re capable of and what you’re going to do. If you’re making a half-hearted effort, they’re going to punish you for it.”
The added challenge of opponents who know how you think increases the need for defenders to adapt their tactics and utilize the skills they’ve learned.
“They target the gap in the armor, and it makes you stronger,” said Leggett.
Bringing together Reserve defenders from around the country enables a unique training opportunity for leaders to work as they would in austere conditions on missions and deployments.
“Working with people outside your home station prepares you for any deployment or mission where you will mesh with other units,” said 1st Lt. Anthony Francia, 927th Security Forces Squadron operations officer.
“The course challenged us to quickly gauge their strengths and work together cohesively. I got to assign my squad leads and rotate them out at the end of each mission, watching for skill and ability to place people in positions based on merit.”
While students learned and applied skills in complex scenarios designed around their critical thinking, planning and analysis, the varied backgrounds of the Reserve Airmen also contributed to a shared learning environment.
“Reserve defenders bring a lot of knowledge and experience from their civilian careers,” said Senior Airman Emma Schmutzler, IDLC cadre.
“Students with law enforcement backgrounds brought valuable experience in managing stress in uncertain situations, those with medical expertise provided practical insights on treating trauma, and the students with construction experience were key assets in constructing durable defensive fighting positions.”
Cadre challenged the students on a variety of missions including rescuing and treating a simulated aircraft crash survivor and navigating through the forest to perform reconnaissance on an enemy position. The training exercises culminated in an all-out assault on the students by opposing forces to simulate battlefield conditions and put their skills to the test under stress.
“The cadre threw out so much smoke during the last mission that you couldn’t see the defensive firing position next to you,” said Francia.
“The pre-planning really came into play, including all of our ‘if this happens, then…’ contingencies, sectors of fire, utilization of the terrain. I tried to think of every possible scenario and put our people and bullets in the best possible places. Eventually the situation called for an audible and that’s when the training from the previous days and all the repetitions we got in came into play.”
The IDLC course is designed to take full advantage of a Reserve Airman’s annual two-week training requirement and affords them the opportunity to utilize resources they may not have available at home station, and learning objectives benefit Airmen from every tier of leadership.
“We’ve had everyone from Airman Basic to Majors in the course,” said Leggett.
“We can give them real 300-meter distances for live fire and even combatives with a master level instructor so that everyone takes away valuable training.”
Defenders from the 927th Security Forces Squadron achieved accolades during the course including top shot, top airman and top non-commissioned officer.
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2025 09:56 |
| Story ID: | 546163 |
| Location: | YOUNGSTOWN-WARREN AIR RESERVE STATION, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 185 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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