19th SFS polish skills with FBI, OSI

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LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  With today's evolving threats, security forces must be ready for anything and everything.

The 19th Security Forces Squadron conducted joint training with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Weapons and Tactics team and the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, Det. 327, Feb. 24 to 26 at Little Rock Air Force Base.

Joint training with local counterparts is essential as Team Little Rock relies on several local and federal agencies during crisis situations.

"This training is crucial for security forces members," said Master Sgt. Keith Gray, 19th SFS superintendant of intelligence. "By training to mitigate an active shooter situation on Little Rock Air Force Base, we're able to minimize the loss of life to the base populace."

The primary purpose of the joint training exercise centered on how to respond, engage and neutralize an active shooter on base and how to conduct hostage negotiations.

In preparation for the final exercise, 12 security forces members trained alongside 20 FBI agents and five OSI agents for three days.

The 19th SFS provided the FBI SWAT team access to base firing ranges for SWAT scenario, qualification training and raid operations in the housing subdivision "The Landings."

On the second day of training, FBI agents hosted the 19th SFS at the Philips Building in downtown Little Rock to conduct search and clearing training.

Eight hours of scenario-based joint training included clearing a two-story abandoned office building. While clearing the Philips Building, training became extremely realistic when simulated munitions rounds were fired back by "perpetrators."

"It's nearly impossible to predict reactions in a real-world active shooter event; however, using simulated munitions sure does make training much more realistic," said Sergeant Gray.

Simulated munitions require detailed planning and communicating to successfully accomplish the mission.

The final day of training tested security forces members ability to respond, coordinate and communicate not only internally but externally as well.

The 19th SFS started with an active shooter in Bldg. 272. The 19th SFS responded to neutralize the threat while notifications to OSI were made.

During the scenario, one of the "perpetrators" took hostages, causing OSI agents to request a crisis negotiation team and FBI SWAT team.

"Training with OSI and the FBI agents improves the ability to defend and protect Air Force people and assets by adding another skill set to all security forces members for a task that used to be mainly employed by a select few of the Security Forces Emergency Services Team," said Sergeant Gray.

The scenario took nearly three hours from start to finish, culminating in a dynamic entry by SWAT with SF and OSI to neutralize the hostage taker and clear the facility of all personnel.

(Courtesy of the 19th Security Forces Squadron)