RODEO 2009: Security forces hone combat skills

Published July 22, 2009
By 2nd Lt. Erika Wonn
RODEO 2009 Public Affairs

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- At Air Mobility RODEO 2009, security forces Airmen are being challenged in a series of events including weapons, tactics and an obstacle course. The events are designed to prepare Airmen for contingency operations.

"The scenarios in the tactics portion are very realistic," said Tech. Sgt. John Knapp from the 910th Security Forces Squadron at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. "It gives Airmen a chance to gain valuable experience as squad leaders, handling weapons, applying defense tactics and preparing for real world deployments."

At the tactics event, Airmen are sent on a realistic mission in a simulated village, searching for improvised explosive device production sites. When ambushed by sniper attack, the teams are expected to defend their position and gain control of the situation.

Tech. Sgt. Shaylin Butler, from the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center at Fort Dix, N.J., works on the team that developed security forces scenarios for RODEO and evaluates Airmen before they deploy to contingency efforts around the world.

"These events are modeled directly after the training Airmen receive before they deploy so they can be as realistic as possible," Sergeant Butler said. "The teams go in and secure airfields and villages that could and sometimes do contain dangerous terrorists and equipment used to make IEDs and other weapons."

The impact of training and testing these Airmen at RODEO is significantly strategic, Sergeant Butler said. The teams practice and prepare for the competition long before their arrival at RODEO. When competing in the three events, Airmen are offered the opportunity to gain valuable lessons learned and take home new information and training procedures they may not have had before.

"When there are mistakes in the competition setting, it's often the same kind of mistake from every team," Sergeant Butler said. "It may not seem like little procedures could make such a profound difference, but it really can in a life or death situation."

Many of the competitors said this is why it is so important for teams to compete in these events, take home the lessons learned, and adjust their training at their home station to directly impact their fighting capabilities.

"This opportunity has given us new and innovative tools to take back to our unit and improve the way we train," said Tech. Sgt. Troy Taylor, team leader from the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Security Forces Squadron at Columbus. "It's good to know we are working in the right direction, or that we need to take steps to effectively prepare our unit for contingency response."

Sergeant Taylor said the RODEO scenarios aren't what they do on an everyday basis, but could be something they experience in a deployed location. "This competition helps us to be more prepared for those types of situations," he said.