News>Academy cadets gain insight into security forces mission while deployed
Photos
Cadet Yannie Horth yells out commands at two attackers during a baton training drill with members of the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron July 11, 2011, in Southwest Asia. Horth is a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. She is here as part of Operation Air Force-Deployed, a program designed to give cadets a first-hand view of a deployment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chance Babin)
Cadet Daniel Brand fights off two attackers during a baton training drill with members of the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron July 11, 2011, in Southwest Asia. Brand is a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. Brand is here as part of Operation Air Force-Deployed, a program designed to give cadets a first-hand view of a deployment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chance Babin)
Staff Sgt. Travis Martho demonstrates how to use a baton during a training session with a group of cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy July 11, 2011, in Southwest Asia. The cadets are here as part of Operation Air Force-Deployed, a program designed to give cadets a first-hand view of a deployment. Sergeant Martho is a security forces trainer with the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chance Babin)
Cadet Jonathan Hagan fights off two attackers during a baton training drill with members of the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron July 11, 2011, in Southwest Asia. Hagan is here as part of Operation Air Force-Deployed, a program designed to give cadets a first-hand view of a deployment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chance Babin)
Cadet Yannie Horth takes a fighting stance against an attacker during a baton training drill with the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. Horth is a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. Horth is here as part of Operation Air Force-Deployed, a program designed to give cadets a first-hand view of a deployment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chance Babin)
by Master Sgt. Chance Babin
380th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs
7/18/2011 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- For a group of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets visiting the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia, a training day with security forces proved both exhausting and informative.
The cadets, here as part of Operation Air Force-Deployed -- a program designed to give cadets a firsthand view of a deployment -- performed baton training with Airmen from the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.
"Baton training is used as a less-than-lethal means of force to gain compliance against someone who poses a harmful threat," said Staff Sgt. Travis Martho, a security forces trainer from the 380th ESFS. "With the cadets we're giving them a different point of view on how cops react and respond to situations that are tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving."
During the training, the cadets learned to use a baton against a single attacker who was dressed in a red protective suit known as the red-man suit. The drill intensifies as a second and third attacker assails the cadet. Each cadet had to ward off the attackers for three minutes.
"This was tough," said Cadet Jake Alleman, an aspiring intelligence officer. "It was three minutes of straight pain. I boxed at the Academy, so I figured I'd have a handle on it. But after a minute or two, you think you're going strong; then you lose all technique once you get tired, and it's like a street fight."
In addition to the baton training, the 380th ESFS gave the cadets instruction on weapons training, military dog handling and exercise scenarios.
"The 380th Security Forces Training section was honored to train our future leaders on defensive tactics with the baton," Martho said.
The Operation Air Force-Deployed program sends groups of cadets to Air Force bases for three weeks, where they follow officers in different career fields to gain an understanding of career responsibilities. They also interact with enlisted members to gain a view of leadership in action.
Comments
7/25/2011 11:12:18 AM ET @advocate, If there weren't still bias towards AFA types there wouldn't still be an age-old whine. By the way, most people who label complaints as whining are simply ignoring a problem. It's an excuse not to have to fix it.
Rico, Planet Realism
7/21/2011 3:24:21 PM ET I just recently read in the AF Times it costs about $250,000 to graduate a 2nd Lt from the Academy. I can see why after reading this article. I think the graduating class this year had over 1,000 cadets. That's roughly $225 million dollars to produce those 2nd Lts. $1 Billion dollars every 4 years. The Times mentioned it takes approximately $60K for ROTC and $20K for OCS. Looks like there is more bang for the buck there. Go AFROTC and OCS!
MoneySaver, SoontobeIraq
7/20/2011 2:36:02 PM ET @MSgtwhowasthere: they have cut back on the Ops program to 1 summer no longer 3... Except in the case of cadets who participate in this program... they get the opportunity to do Ops twice. @afkeoni: the budget has hit USAFA too; just look at their cuts in class sizes. Continuing the age-old whine that USAFA has it so much better than ROTC is unproductive. Different commissioning sources, different experiences. They can't make it completely identical.
Advocate, FL
7/20/2011 5:04:27 AM ET @afkeoni, AFROTC cadets are eligible and do participate in this program on a regular basis. The two times I did ops air force at least a third of the cadets in our group were from ROTC. Also the USAFA cadets who go 'deployed' to non-hostile locations must complete a special application to get 'deployed'.
afcapt, SWA
7/19/2011 9:48:06 PM ET Glad to see that in times of reduced budgets that USAFA still gets the best of everything while AFROTC which produces more Officers per year gets nothing.
afkeoni, AFROTC Instructor
7/19/2011 5:26:34 AM ET Surpised that cadets are actually involved in real training, considering that during my 4 year tour there most of them were sent out on OPS and spent the time being shuffled through briefings and then released to do whatever they could find to do. Looks like somebody took a look at the program and made some needed changes.
