DVIDS – News – The 354th Fighter Wing provides a basic advanced training course

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska – The 354th Fighter Wing’s Agile Combat Employment Cell hosted a Basic Airman Readiness Training Course June 24-28.
This course follows the ACE concept designed to prepare teams of mission-ready Airmen to multitask outside of their Air Force base specialty code and will be able to support ACE force elements in environments deployment to achieve mission objectives within acceptable levels of risk.

“ACE is a joint operational concept focused on proactive and reactive operational maneuver patterns, executed within threat timelines to increase survivability while generating combat power,” said Staff Sgt. Curt Lavigne, 354th Security Forces Squadron logistics and resources superintendent.

354th FW Airmen learned 15 different lessons from subject matter experts during the five-day course. These lessons included shooting, movement and communication, combat casualty care, defensive fighting positions, among other important training objectives.
“The course is designed to provide Airmen with the skills, knowledge and abilities necessary to perform their duties in locations lacking infrastructure in contested environments,” Lavigne said.

After 15 hours of instruction, the Airmen spent 35 hours in the field receiving hands-on training on the TCCC, M4 Carbine and M18 Pistol weapon platforms and intermediate communications methods. The students used all of this training to conduct simulated shooting exercises against opposing forces during the field day. After completing the field day, 12 Airmen from four squadrons were officially MRA certified.

“The executives did a fantastic job teaching us and they showed a great understanding of the course content,” said Joshua Young, 354th Operations Support Squadron senior Airman and operations analyst. “This course prepares us for deployment opportunities; we will be able to help low-strength, low-resource units in enemy environments. »

Currently, the ART-C course is only available at the USAF Expeditionary Center stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Once the course is certified at the wing level, the 354th FW will have the opportunity to train the MRA organically, saving Eielson more than $700,000.

“The ACE concept is used at most bases, however, Eielson is the first base to test its ability to run an ART-Core course at the wing level,” Lavigne said. “Once certified, Eielson will begin teaching Airmen the ART-Core lessons important to surviving in austere environments.”