AAF receives training in preparation to take over security

United States Air Force Master Sgt. Chad Roberts, 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group security forces advisor, teaches a class of Afghan Air Force security forces members about flightline security at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. AAF members with Kandahar Air Wing security forces underwent training in order to assume flightline security responsibilities. Advisors with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan developed and lead the six-day training course for 15 AAF security forces members to include both classroom and hands-on instruction. (courtesy photo)

AAF receives training in preparation to take over security

Members of Kandahar Air Wing security forces practice handcuffing Master Sgt. Chad Roberts, 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group security forces advisor, during a class at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. AAF members with KAW security forces underwent training in order to assume flightline security responsibilities. Advisors with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan developed and lead the six-day training course for 15 AAF security forces members to include both classroom and hands-on instruction. (courtesy photo)

AAF receives training in preparation to take over security

United States Air Force Master Sgt. Chad Roberts, 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group security forces advisor, allows himself to be restrained and searched as part of a class at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. AAF members with KAW security forces underwent training in order to assume flightline security responsibilities. Advisors with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan developed and lead the six-day training course for 15 AAF security forces members to include both classroom and hands-on instruction. (courtesy photo)

AAF receives training in preparation to take over security

Published April 6, 2013
By Capt Anastasia Wasem
438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Afghan Air Force Airmen and Kandahar Air Wing security forces recently underwent training to assume flightline security responsibilities at Kandahar Airfield.

Advisors with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan developed and lead the six-day training course for 15 AAF security forces Airmen to include both classroom and hands-on instruction. AAF security forces are set to take over flightline security for Panther Ramp this month.

"With this training, there's no doubt in my mind that they're ready for this challenge," Master Sgt. Patrick Flores, 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group security forces advisor, said about the security takeover. "It's just one piece of the integrated defense of the base, but it's a vital piece."

The newly developed class included five days of classroom presentation and one day of practical application, exercises and scenarios. The students learned about physical security, including fencing, barriers, wiring and lighting, boundaries around the flightline, entry control procedures and identification checking, environmental consideration such as rain, extreme heat and dehydration, emergency response, search and handcuffing, post-attack reconnaissance and hazmat response.

"Our goal is to build an Afghan Air Force that is completely independent and able to operate on their own; this training was a giant step toward reaching that goal," said Flores. "There's no doubt that this class will become reoccurring training and used in the future as the Afghans continue to take over more and more of the security on the base."

The creation of this class was a joint effort by all NATC-A security forces advisors in order to identify weaknesses and strengths to create training tailored to the needs of the AAF security forces members. Operating instructions were developed to identify what needed to be accomplished and taught prior to handover of flightline security.

"This was definitely a team effort going back to our predecessors," Master Sgt. Chad Roberts, 738 AEAG security forces advisor said. "They did the ground work to start developing the lesson plans and training curriculum and we finalized and implemented."

Although translations and the curriculum can be challenging, the NATC-A advisors feel that they are making a difference in the future of Afghanistan.

"I feel like the mission that we're doing here is really influencing the younger generation especially," said Roberts. "They're bright, curious and completely invested in improving the future of Afghanistan."