Course trains Airmen to drive convoys for Army in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melanie Streeter
  • Air Force Print News
Riding in a truck through Iraq, manning a weapon and facing armed adversaries is not a scenario many Air Force vehicle operators thought they would see.

But that is exactly what more than 500 of these Airmen are doing -- driving convoys for the Army supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Tate, Air Force vehicle operations career field manager, said a tasking for Air Force drivers to lend a hand came about during a sourcing conference attended by each of the four services.

“The secretary of defense had directed us to develop joint solutions that ensured the combatant commander had the forces necessary to meet operational needs,” the chief said. “We looked to see if we possessed a like capability for specific skill sets to help the Army alleviate shortfalls that exist. We determined we had a like capability in the Air Force and the ability to provide Airmen to drive convoys.”

To prepare for the mission, the first rotation of vehicle operators underwent six to eight weeks of training. The training was somewhat informal and unstructured, since it was a first for the Air Force, the chief said.

“To remedy that situation for the next rotation and better prepare our Airmen for combat operations, Air Education and Training Command (officials) stood up the Basic Combat Convoy Course, a formal three-week course at Lackland AFB (Texas),” he said.

As soon as the operators complete the course, they will form into units of about 150 Airmen and deploy to Kuwait for convoy live-fire training.

“As part of the convoy live-fire training, they go through a block of training known as close-quarter marksmanship, where they are firing a weapon while on the move,” Chief Tate said. “You’re 5 feet from your battle buddy. When you feel the muzzle blast from an M-16 on the back of your neck, (it) raises your hackles, but it’s necessary for developing an Airman’s confidence in his or her teammates and handling his or her weapon.

“You don’t have any choice but to trust your teammates because not only are you depending on (them, they are) depending on you,” he said.

The normal span of 30 months between weapons training for vehicle operators did not develop the level of confidence needed in Iraq, the chief said.

“That’s why heavy emphasis on weapons training and close-quarter marksmanship is so critical,” he said. “Every Airman who went through the training (in Kuwait) fired no less than 600 rounds with an M-16.”

Another element of this training was to prepare Airmen to truly defend themselves against enemy forces, Chief Tate said.

“Part of that critical preparation is knowing that your survivability could depend upon your ability to raise and use a weapon against another person,” he said. “There are some Airmen who have had to do that.”

Training also focused on developing “muscle memory,” where Airmen are trained to respond to a situation without an extensive thought process.

“It’s a natural reaction,” the chief said. “You have hostile contact, and the next reaction is you aim, you fire, you kill.”

Once fully trained, vehicle operators deploy into Iraq for a six-month rotation, Chief Tate said. To supply the number of drivers needed, the vehicle operations career field is surging two air and space expeditionary force “buckets.”

Air Force officials have committed about 300 Airmen through March 2006, he said.

“So, it’s quite possible for some of the Airmen currently deployed to Iraq to have to support a future rotation as well,” the chief said.

Facing hostile areas on a day-to-day basis is drawing the units together in many ways, Chief Tate said. Most of the Airmen deployed supporting this mission had no idea they would be truly on the front lines.

“It’s really difficult for some to comprehend the team dynamics taking place, but as a leader seeing it firsthand, the cohesion and camaraderie developing as the teams come together is exciting and satisfying,” he said. “I saw it when the teams came together and started to communicate to each other their concerns, their fears and what they wanted to achieve while deployed.”

This communication and trust is what makes the teams so successful, he said.

“When they go outside the wire on a convoy, they are tight,” Chief Tate said. “They are as sharp as you would want a unit to be. They’re alert, they’re vigilant, they’re confident, and they are certainly combat-capable. I have to say that those elements, along with the leadership they have, are (keys) to the overwhelming success of this mission.”

That leadership, the chief said, includes elements of both the Air Force and the Army.

“Even though the Airmen are tactically assigned to Army units, they are still well taken care of by Air Force leaders in the region,” he said. “There may be a perception that we’ve taken Airmen, given them to the Army and forgotten them. That’s false -- we have Airmen working for Airmen, and we have effective support elements in place.”

To make sure things run as smoothly as possible for the vehicle operators, a command and control structure was developed through U.S. Central Air Forces that addresses administrative concerns, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and other personnel issues through Air Force chains of command.

So far, the chief said, the Airmen’s performance has been outstanding.

“One Army battalion commander (whom) the Airmen fall under said they are the best unit under his command,” Chief Tate said.