78th SFS redefines readiness for ACE with joint training
The 78th Security Forces Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is adapting to a new era of warfighting as its Airmen train to embody the Agile Combat Employment concept while also working with mission partners to enhance interoperability on base.
The ACE concept is meant to complicate adversary planning, improve resilience and survivability, and provide more power projection options for joint and combined force commanders. It does this by dispersing aircraft and using smaller, multi-capable teams to operate from forward deployed, austere locations.
“ACE has shifted our operational mindset,” said Staff Sgt. Valtrice Sullivan, 78th SFS training noncommissioned officer in charge. “It demands that we pivot from traditional installation security to combat-ready defense. To prepare for that, we’ve tailored our training scenarios to emphasize immediate adaptability.”
With a 215-hour training program focused on law enforcement, base security and expeditionary operations, the 78th SFS is working to shift from organized, system-supported defense to bare-base, high-threat security when circumstances require it.
To cover those bases, Sullivan says the squadron layers its training, combining the mastering of foundational weapon skills, tactical communication and small unit tactics during intense exercises at Warrior and Gator Air Bases.
“We’re training them to think like a team leader even as a junior Airman fresh out of the Security Forces Apprentice course,” said Sullivan. “The critical skills we’re teaching are all about independence, adaptability and decision making under pressure.”
Mastering tactical independence relies heavily on joint interoperability. Tech. Sgt. Lawrence Wilburn, 78th SFS flight sergeant, says working with mission partners has become a critical addition to the squadron’s training curriculum.
“In a real-world scenario, it would never just be security forces,” said Wilburn. “We may be the first on the scene, but our counterparts such as SWAT, fire and hazmat teams, are all organizations we work with when real-world stuff happens. If we don’t train as we play, when it comes together, it’ll be a mess. So, when we do these repetitions together, we not only build muscle memory, we also build partnership and understanding.”
The 78th SFS regularly teams up with other Team Robins units for training. It’s a method that Sullivan says enhances interagency coordination and readiness by allowing Airmen to understand their specific roles and how to communicate during emergencies.
To prepare for missions downrange, the squadron partners with the 116th Air Control Wing’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, the 461st ACW’s 5th Combat Communications Group and the 78th Medical Group during a local pre-deployment training course.
Wilburn says the training ensures 78th SFS Airmen’s readiness before they’re deployed.
“We try to get them as ready as possible, because now when they go down to pre-deployment, it’s more of a ‘let’s see if you know your stuff’ versus ‘let’s teach you,’” Wilburn said. “We get them here for two weeks, and we try to run them through as much stuff as we can that they would potentially see in a downrange setting.”
On the domestic front, they’re applying the same integrated mindset to base operations by teaming up with the 778th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire and Emergency Services Flight to coordinate their response for real incidents and Active Shooter Hostile Event Response exercises.
During active shooter exercises, defenders and EMS personnel work together to clear buildings, locate and extract victims, and report updates to incident command.
The 78th SFS also provides security responses to help partners like EOD and other organizations as they train.
“If any organization needs our help, we're always down to help to give good training,” added Wilburn.
These cross-agency partnerships now extend beyond the gates of Robins AFB, with the 78th SFS joining in on the Houston County SWAT team’s training efforts to keep their tactics sharp.
“They have monthly trainings, and they’ve extended the olive branch,” Wilburn said. “They’re showing us through a different lens. It’s refreshing to get a new eye on how to do these different tactics and to build those partnerships.”
