RAF officers spin-up on 820th SFG roles, mission, training

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Spencer Gallien
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) --  Two members from the Royal Air Force, Force Protection Centre at RAF Honington, United Kingdom, recently visited the 820th Security Forces Group at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., as part of an exchange program between the units.

Flight Lt. Dave Martin and Wing Cmdr. Tom Sawyer, Force Protection Centre RAF Honington, are the first members of a RAF regiment to visit the unit since September 2006, when three senior non-commissioned officers exchanged slots as part of the program.

"The RAF regiment is the equivalent to the 820th SFG," said Master Sgt. Jason France, 820th SFG operations superintendent. "The RAF has two forms of what we know as security forces; the RAF police, who deal with day-to-day policing, and the regiment, which deals with force protection, more along the lines of what the 820th does."

According to the RAF Honington leadership, the FP Centre's mission is to provide force protection advice, expertise and training to the RAF, and to deliver specialist chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear capability at very high readiness in support of national contingency operations.

Along with the exchange program, the two units have an additional connection. Wing Commander Sawyer and Col. Don Derry, 820th SFG commander, have been stationed together at two bases in England during the colonel's time as an exchange officer in the early 1990's. The colonel also pointed out they have deployed together numerous times.

"My time spent among the regiments in the United Kingdom gave me some foresight into what a force protection unit should be," Colonel Derry said. "Using some of their concepts as a basis for the group, the unit was born."

The 820th SFG was created as a direct result of Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996. After the incident, Gen. Ron Fogelman, Air Force Chief of Staff, developed the initiative for a force protection group to provide Airmen with more secure base defense and force protection.

A tiger team, headed by then Captain Derry, began modeling a force protection unit based on the United Kingdom's RAF Regiment, which would later become the 820th SFG.

"The whole concept of the 820th SFG was born from the RAF regiment," said Wing Commander Sawyer. "The regiment provided the basis for the unit -- a force protector and base defender."

The two RAF officers began the week with briefings to learn about the unique mission of the 820th SFG.

They also received tours of different 820th SFG units and areas including the intelligence section, medical cell, communications flight and the military operations in urban terrain training village.

"We've seen a lot of similarities between us and the 820th SFG," Wing Commander Sawyer said. "From training techniques to deployment cycles, there are many parallels -- to see another nation accomplish this really helps validate what we've been doing."

"We've also experienced and overcome many of the same obstacles we discussed here," Wing Commander Sawyer said. "Together, we may have a better chance at solving existing difficulties we face as specialists in force protection."

Every time the 820th meets with the RAF Regiment, invaluable information is shared on base defense, Colonel Derry said.

"We will continue to expand upon this exchange of ideas," the colonel said. "This dialogue is vital to our mission, especially with our coalition partners. These programs are the way ahead for the future, in order to defeat our enemies and win the global war on terror."

As the organizations look to move forward with future missions, they will continue to rely on each other to resolve issues we both encounter, Wing Commander Sawyer said.

"When dealing with the 820th SFG, we know we're working with a group that trains like us, has an approach like us and is as capable as we are," he said. "I've been absolutely bowled over by the enthusiasm of the members of the group."

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page