Defenders Sharpen Warfighter Skills at 97 AMW

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cody Dowell
  • Altus Air Force Base Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The 97th Security Forces Squadron unveiled the new Warrior Training Center, Nov. 29, 2018, at Altus AFB. The 97th SFS repurposed a storage warehouse in order to build a high-intensity training facility for the first responders and law enforcement officials of the base.

The new training facility focuses on heart-rate, decision-making, positive psychology and scenario-based training which allows several training scenarios to be performed.

“Anything from first aid training, domestic response and ‘shoot or don't shoot’ scenarios,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Nathaniel Lesher, 97th SFS commander. “We have combative mats and aerobics equipment. We see that when heart-rate goes up that decision-making and fine motor skills tend to diminish.”

The WTC was designed with the fullest training opportunities in mind. It is intended to help train the SFS members respond to a crisis situation in a more realistic way. They go through a series of physical challenges, such as riding an exercise bicycle, pushing a weighted sled and engaging in a combative area to help elevate the heart rate. Finally, participants enter a scenario area to a random response situation, demanding specific actions. This helps 97th SFS members experience a more accurate representation of what they might face on duty. All of the training was thoughtfully designed.

“A unique part of our facility is the cameras in it,” said Lesher. “We can have students sit on the outside and view what's going on during the training. Not only are the students inside learning, but the students outside are learning as well.”

The scenario area and layout of the WTC was built by members of the 97th Air Mobility Wing and has benefits beyond law enforcement training.

“Like the A-10 {Warthog} was built around a mini-gun, we built around our scenarios,” said Lesher. “We built a location that has a hallway, a corner-fed room and a center-fed room. The basics of close-quarters combat is being able to master those areas and then we learned that we could use that area for different types of scenarios.”

The primary use of the facility will be for law enforcement and first responders, however the 97th SFS is planning to make it available to the base and community.

“We are already looking at opportunities to push warfighter skills throughout the air mobility wing and other training opportunities to bring other people into our facility to use our equipment,” said Lesher. “We have a really good relationship with the Altus Police Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Jackson County Sheriff's Department. Hopefully we'll be able to invite them out and use the facility.”

In order to make the WTC possible, it took about four months of work and four thousand dollars to creatively repurpose the storage warehouse into the low-cost training facility, but the 97th SFS is not done yet.

“We are still building two sections of the facility – one will be a vehicle takedown area that goes over traffic stops and vehicle close-quarters combat, and there will be a physical training grinder,” said Lesher.

All of the hard work that has gone into this facility is for the safety of base residents and to increase the capabilities of its defenders.

“Our first responders are primarily responsible for their security for everybody that comes on and off Altus AFB,” said Lesher. “Our defenders are making great decisions, we just want to make sure that they are capable of making the best decisions.”