Photo By Airman 1st Class Macy Dismore-Mann | U.S. Air Force reservists assigned to the 512th Contingency Response Squadron, provide...... read more read more
Reservists with the 512th Contingency Response Squadron, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, completed a combat skills refresher course April 8-12, 2026, at locations on and off base.
The 40 reserve Airmen spent their first two days of training in the classroom at Bethany Beach National Guard Training Site, Delaware. The group then transitioned to a field exercise on Dover AFB.
The Tactics and Leadership Nexus, or TALN, class contains areas of instruction including chemical warfare, weapons familiarization, medical aid, deployment mental health, basic communications and combat tactics. The course culminated in a field training exercise that tested students on what they learned and stretched overnight into the early morning of the final day of training.
The class usually lasts three days but was extended to five to meet the squadron’s additional training requirements.
Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Cooper, 512th CRS senior enlisted leader, said he thought the training was a success.
“Everybody has been performing well and is excited to be here,” he said. “The best part of this is getting out of the classroom and practicing these techniques out in the field. The more training we can get in an austere environment, the better.”
The 512th CRS is comprised of reserve Airmen in different career fields, and its mission is to deploy and establish airbase capabilities in austere or contested environments.
Master Sgt. Justin McMahon, 436th Mission Support Group TALN flight chief, said he has worked with reservists before, but this was his first experience with the 512th CRS.
“It’s a unique squadron,” he said. “I love their mission set and what their mission capabilities are. They have been amazing students; we were able to go more in-depth and answer more questions while bringing more real-world experiences into our teaching.”
McMahon said, in some cases, the reserve students taught the instructors some new material. One example was when a reservist, who is a paramedic in their civilian capacity, gave notes on how to make Tactical Combat Casualty Care more realistic.
Tech. Sgt. Samuel Smolarek, 512th CRS operations expediter, worked with McMahon in planning the training. He said the active-duty cadre went above and beyond crafting the class to fit his squadron’s training needs.
“We got a lot of exposure to some huge emphasis items that we were lacking experience on,” he said. “It was important to do something that really stretched our skills and gave us a clearer picture of our capabilities and expectations of what we need to do.”
Ultimately, this type of combat readiness training fortifies the mission readiness of the 512th CRS, ensuring the unit remains a lethal and capable force that’s ready to deploy when called upon.
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2026 15:30 |
| Story ID: | 565126 |
| Location: | DELAWARE, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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