Security forces Airmen help prep RAF Regiment for Afghanistan tour

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas Trower
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England (AFNS) --  Security forces Airmen from Royal Air Force Mildenhall participated in Exercise Enduring Shield 03/10 Sept. 5 through 10 at Stanford Training Area here to help Royal Air Force infantrymen prepare for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

With the countdown clock for an Afghanistan deployment nearing zero, members of the 15th Squadron, RAF Regiment were determined to demonstrate their combat proficiencies to the RAF Regiment force commander, and the Airmen from the 100th Security Forces Squadron served in the place of the U.S. Marines who would serve with the regiment on the deployment.
"We're doing the final prep for our tour to Afghanistan. We've been training real hard up to this point, and this is where outside agencies look at what we do and give us criticism or appraises," said RAF Cpl. Andy Branston, from the 34th Squadron. "Where we're going to be, we'll be working quite closely with U.S. Marines, so we thought we'd need to know what (American forces) are thinking so we can work accordingly."

The Airmen put together a squad to help train the RAF infantrymen and provide them interaction with American forces before they get to Afghanistan, said Tech. Sgt. Tisha Bate, from the 100th SFS.

"We responded to personnel digging an (improvised explosive device) with (small-arms fire), a mass casualty situation and a village where we encountered a suicide bomber," said Sergeant Bate, who organized U.S. ground operations. "We diffused each situation and loaded the casualties onto an (RAF) Chinook."

"As we worked with the British RAF Regiment, they could get a feel for working with joint forces, but we also got some really good training ourselves," said Airman Isaiah Mosley, of the 100th SFS.

Spread throughout the World War II training area, more than 20 Airmen embedded with British ground forces to accomplish their missions. One of which was conducted in a 12.5-acre replica of an Afghan village. Complete with a market, mosque and homes, the village is populated with numerous "Afghan civilians."

After a simulated IED was detonated, "injuring" multiple inhabitants, the servicemembers, both American and British, began to treat the victims, each with some type of actual amputation.
After the casualties were triaged, treated to the highest extent possible and prepared for transport, a RAF Chinook was called in to provide medical evacuation for the patients. Once it departed, the scenario was finished by shouting, "Stop, stop, stop," by exercise cadre members and feedback was provided to everyone involved.

"I think the Americans have (done) brilliant out here," Corporal Branston said. "They were all over the casualties, and they did exactly as they were trained and told."

"The feedback from the cadre was really good," Sergeant Bate said. "This is what we train for every day."

Later in the day, at a mock forward operating base, Airmen joined yet another flight of infantrymen to assist in providing security for the patrol base and respond to nearby incidents.

After chasing down a group of suspicious individuals and engaging in a firefight with insurgents near the base, the joint patrol headed back for their camp.