Operating in some of the most austere conditions available, U.S. Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape specialists from Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, train their fellow Airmen to function to the best of their ability in remote or hostile environments.

SERE specialists from the 34th Combat Training Squadron Detachment 1 trained members of the 921st Contingency Response Squadron, from Travis AFB, California, to augment their capabilities of advising, directing and projecting air power along with their characteristic duties of joint force readiness training during exercise Green Flag Little Rock 19-01.

GFLR allows for a chance to experience realistic combat scenarios and learn how to integrate with other units, services and partner nations. The 921st CRS used this exercise to partner with U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zach Yoakam, 34th CTS SERE Detachment 1 flight chief, and his team for a one-day training program on common customs hurdles, personnel recovery, and land navigation techniques.

“The 921st CRS commander identified a need for training from me and my team on tactics designed to help them be more efficient while deployed,” Yoakam said. “We tailored it to support their missions downrange.”

Being able to learn from SERE Airmen was a welcomed opportunity for members of the 921st CRS because it is how Airmen learn how to best live up to the U.S. military code of conduct in uncertain or hostile environments. This type of instruction is especially useful for GFLR participants due to their increased likelihood of being in deployed locations.

“I think it’s a good learning opportunity because we go into austere environments in smaller teams,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Benjamin Guyton, 921st CRS mobile C2 controller. “It’s really good for them just to have training on operational security and if they get into trouble, it’s another tool for them to utilize.”

The training activities involved Airmen who had participated in the full SERE course, as well as Airmen who had only experienced SERE topics during basic military training. This mix of skill levels, combined with a non-traditional classroom setting, encouraged an open dialogue and many of the younger, less-trained Airmen to more actively participate than in average lesson plans.

“The Airmen gained newfound confidence in basic personnel recovery concepts and land navigation,” Yoakam said. “In the world of personnel recovery they had less training than I was used to, but they acted in a way outside of their normal capacity of the training they had received, and they were fantastic. I was absolutely impressed.”