355th SFS Airmen participate in training exercises

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mike Washburn
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Members of the 355th Security Forces Squadron took part in active shooter training exercises here Nov. 25.

The first two exercises were based on hostage scenarios. The squadron was split into teams of six and tasked with assaulting a building with an undisclosed number of terrorists inside.

"We don't tell the teams the number of individuals that are in the building because in a real life scenario, you're never going to know how many people there are," said Jeffery Ludwikoski, 355th SFS training instructor.

The teams use simunition rounds to make the exercise as real as possible. Simunition is a type of training ammunition that military and law enforcement use in training exercises. The round's projectile tip leaves a visible paint mark when it hits something, and the round travels at a velocity of 325 feet per second. There is a risk of injury when using simunition, so the teams wear protective gear covering their body, hands, throat and face.

The first floor of the building is comprised of two rooms. The larger, main room has a staircase that leads up to the second floor. To the right of the staircase is a couch that one of the two terrorists is using as cover. Pistol in hand, he nervously waits for anyone to come through the door. A second, smaller room is to the left of the staircase where the other shooter is located. Three hostages are also in the room, making things even more difficult for security forces.

The first team is ready to go. They enter the building through the main doors at an alarming pace, and quickly identify friend from foe. The firefight that follows is over in a matter of seconds.

The terrorist behind the couch immediately opens fire on the assaulting team. He doesn't last long. The first member of the assault team takes him down with a few accurate, well-placed rounds and secures the terrorists pistol so no one else can use it against them.

At the same time, the other teammates are performing their tasks without hesitation. As one secures the stairs so no one can sneak down from above, another secures the hostages while the remaining members enter the other room and make quick work of the other shooter. Everyone moves tactically and with a sense of urgency.

After the exercise is over, the team is briefed on their performance by Kevin Johnson and Jerry Connor, 355th SFS training instructors. The briefing consists of what they did well, what they need to improve and what they may need to change.

In addition to the hostage training, the teams also participated in other vehicle scenarios such as driver extractions, vehicle assaults and non-compliant driver training which includes anything from a drunk driver to a traffic stop where the individual has a weapon.

This type of training is crucial to security forces operations. These scenarios are the type of situations that are going to happen. The more that security forces trains now, the better prepared they will be for when this happens in the future.