Joint active shooter exercise ensures Airmen, Soldiers can eliminate threat together

Published Aug. 30, 2011
By Master Sgt. Chance Babin
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Soldiers and Airmen conducted a joint training exercise at an air base in Southwest Asia Aug. 24, 2011, to ensure Airmen and Soldiers can work together in response to an active shooter incident.

"These exercises are important. They allow us to develop a working relationship between elements," said Sgt. 1st Class Russell Smart, the NCO in charge of force protection for the Army's 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Regiment. "This relationship is crucial to us overcoming an incident like this. A smooth transition from the Army element searching alone, to a joint forces search of the area makes the difference in saving lives by allowing the forces to safely eliminate the threat."

This was the second exercise of this scale between the security forces Airmen and the Army's force protection sentries, but the first active shooter exercise.

"The scenario consisted of an individual who was having a lot of family issues," said Tech. Sgt. Anthony Harris, the NCO in charge of training for the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. "At shift change, instead of coming back into the force protection tent to retire his weapon for the shift he decided to go on a shooting spree."

The Army's quick reaction force was first on the scene; they conducted sweeps of the area and set about tracking down the shooter.

"The Soldiers had the responsibility of searching for the shooter by going from tent to tent until they either found the shooter or heard shots fired," Harris, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, said. "The Army QRF took lead of the search until the ESFS arrived on scene to take command and control. From that point, the security forces flight chief took overall command and integrated his forces with the Army QRF."

The joint search team found the shooter only a few moments after they began.

"The quick response force responded well," Harris said. "A few of the Soldiers had the opportunity to attend the ESFS-hosted Joint Nation Interoperability Initiative where active shooter response skills were presented. The techniques used by the QRF were a direct replica of that training; reinforcing the importance of the joint training."

One of the biggest issues the Airmen and Soldiers identified during this exercise was the need for better communication.

"Overall, the communication needed work, as with many exercises," Harris said. "However, the integrated teams on the ground worked impressively together."

The Airmen and Soldiers plan to continue working together to learn each other's ways.

"The goal is to have monthly ESFS and ADAR exercises to bridge working relationships of ground defense forces," Harris said. "The most important take-away was the importance of conducting joint training. The more training done, the more Soldiers will be used to working with the Air Force ground defense forces--communication would flow smoother and the Air Force would know a bit more of how the Army operates and the assets they have here."

This was the first of several unit-level active shooter exercises planned at the deployed air base. Each exercise is designed to review the responses of individuals at sites throughout the base to ensure units across the wing know how to react to the threat, Harris said.

"The 380 ESFS and the Army has a great working relationship, especially when it comes to training and defending our base and its assets," Harris said. "Our job is base defens; and the ESFS, specifically our training element, remains eager to train the Army QRF to become better and proficient."