Patriot 7 exercise teaches ISR skills to enhance situational awareness

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Amaani Lyle
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
FORT PICKETT, Va. (AFNS) --  About 30 Air Force, joint and coalition trainees participated in Patriot 7, an exercise using intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to support irregular warfare missions Dec. 6 through 11, here.

The week-long field training prepared servicemembers to use full motion video while conducting operations outside the wire.

"We want to give students the realistic training here that will hopefully make them pioneers to help train others in these tactics when they go downrange," said Maj. James Hoffman, the tactical operations center commander.

The major added that the exercise has evolved since its previous iterations with tailored curriculum designed for warfighters, particularly security forces, Air Force Office of Special Investigations agents and intelligence specialists.

The students participated in a variety of training throughout the week to include Humvee Egress Assistance Training and a convoy mission exercise.

Exercises involved students withstanding 45-, 90- and 180-degree turns in a real Humvee body connected to a motorized rotating system. Though several students had experienced actual rollovers, they agreed the simulator and real-life had one fundamental difference.

"This is a lot slower," said Staff Sgt. Rene Trevino, a Patriot 7 student. "A real rollover happens in the blink of an eye. But this is about as close as you can get to the real thing."

The realistic training continued with students donning flak vests, helmets, face masks and simulated paintball weapons in more than half a dozen Humvees, as they prepared for a reconnaissance exercise involving ISR assets, specifically the Remote Operated Video Enhanced Receiver.

Capt. Timothy Spears, the senior forward air control instructor at the Canadian forces foreign air control cell, said he became acquainted with ROVER technology during his 2006 tour in Afghanistan.

Since then, the Air Force has called upon Captain Spears' expertise to help develop Patriot 7 for the 21st century warfighter. Since many U.S. allies use the same technology, Captain Spears said that operational consistency is critical.

"Learning interoperability is a big challenge, but the face of modern warfare, especially in the insurgency, is a joint fight," Captain Spears said. "Bringing these people together in this training venue provides them an opportunity to formulate the same way of doing business."

As the Cessna 172 flew overhead, Patriot 7 students used ROVER technology to assess their surroundings and make more perceptive decisions based on their familiarity with ever-evolving irregular warfare kits that include working in tandem with aircraft and joint terminal attack controllers.

Captain Spears said his message to students is simple.

"The most important thing our students should know is that they're not alone in the battle space," Captain Spears said. "There are other sensors, aircraft, coalition partners, and people that they can integrate into and coordinate with to help them do their job more effectively."

Tech. Sgt. Roy Jeffry, the Secretary of the Air Force counterterrorism and special programs NCIOC, described the ideal Patriot 7 student.

"This class is designed for the warfighter," he said. "Whether joint, coalition or career field, this is eyes on target before you get there, situational awareness, and dynamic decision making."

Training students to work in tandem with the "eyes in the sky" equates to Patriot 7 being a success, he said.