Joint training mission enables reservists to train as they fight

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tanya King
  • 403rd Wing Public Affiars
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) --  Reservists from the 815th Airlift Squadron here completed a joint airborne and air transportability training mission with Army special forces Soldiers April 16 in Key West, Fla.

The JA/ATT program provides the 815th AS members with unique training opportunities, said Lt. Col. Mark Carter, the 403rd Operations Support Flight chief of operations.

Army students and instructors of the Special Forces Underwater Operations School partnered with the Airmen to parachute from the C-130J Super Hercules over a water drop zone as part of their training in the Combat Diver Qualification Course.

The six-week training includes exercises in underwater search and recovery, submarine lock-in and lock-out procedures, ship bottom search and recovery and over-the-water infiltration techniques.

The unique part of this mission for the 815th AS members is the drop zone is over water, said Lt. Col. Brian Freeman, the 403rd Operations Group pilot and mission commander for the training exercise.

"Typically we are flying over land, but the process is basically the same," he said. "In either case, we verify exactly where the user wants their cargo or personnel delivered and do our best to put it there."

The Airmen delivered 14 students and instructors and one assault raft on target to their drop zone for this scenario near Key West Naval Air Station, Fla.

One of the primary benefits of this type of training is participants can learn what works and what doesn't in a controlled environment, Colonel Carter said.

"We have the added benefit of not only communicating and sharing ideas, but also we learn more about what other services do on a day-to-day basis and are better able to appreciate each other's roles in defense of our national security," he said. "We would rather have lessons learned in training than in a wartime environment."

""For specialized operations such as this, we depend on joint capabilities to ensure mission success," said Maj. Dave Butler, the Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School public affairs officer. "It's vital that we train like we fight, and this joint training maximizes our effectiveness both at home and down range."

Other JA/ATT missions include transporting and delivering vehicles via air-land into unimproved airfields, or airdrop, paralleling the kind of requests the 815th AS staff might receive during combat.

"If a unit wants us to airlift a vehicle into a dirt strip, it's better to discover and resolve any issues around the onload or offload in a training environment," Colonel Carter said.

Training for combat missions can not only help identify potential problems, but also validate additional capabilities such as those realized with employment of the C-130J, the latest version of the C-130.

"Past missions have helped prove the C-130J model can fly faster, farther, higher and smarter than the legacy models," Colonel Carter said.

In 2004 the 815th AS Airmen were the first to combat-prove the C-130J.

"The J-model's improvements are most pronounced when we operate closer to the edge of our operating envelope; the more powerful engines and more efficient propellers enable us to carry heavier loads farther than the legacy models," Colonel Freeman said.

The glass cockpit and moving map, both features exclusive to the J-model, offer increased situational awareness, particularly in the low-level flying environments required to complete these missions, Colonel Freeman said.

Every six months the joint services work together to identify what is required from all JA/ATT participants.

"We find a mission that matches with our training requirements and capabilities," Colonel Carter said. "From there the tactical requirements are identified in order to execute the mission. Further communication after the mission makes the process even better."

This mission gave both Army special forces and 815th AS staff an opportunity to train for war in a realistic environment, Colonel Freeman said.

"In the C-130 world, the Army is our primary customer," Colonel Freeman said. "Most of the way we do business is driven by what the Army needs. That's what we practice for, train for and ultimately execute in combat."