CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Airmen at Charleston AFB are working to bring the latest in technology and realism to the Expeditionary Combat Skills Training course here.
It is the goal of the 437th Security Forces Squadron trainers to make sure every Charleston Airman who participates in the course is ready and confident to deploy and prepared for all likely situations. ECST is designed around a three-day curriculum giving students up-to-date classroom instruction and real-world combat training scenarios.
"This training is current and pertinent to any combat situation," said Capt. Metzger, 437 SFS operations officer, after returning from an eight-month deployment to Iraq. "We have men and women, who have just returned from combat in spots all over Iraq and the world. These troops have been through convoys, Improvised Explosive Devices, mortar hits and sniper fire. They are bringing those experiences and their training back home to our Airmen and preparing them to survive."
The standard for training the past 25 years has been the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System, but the maintenance cost for this 1970s cutting-edge technology has become too high. Additional limiting factors to MILES were the minimum blank ammunitions safe firing distance of 20 feet and the use of unrealistic cover and concealment practices. Environmental conditions such as rain, fog and dense foliage would block the laser beam, giving participants a false sense of security that spawned poor tactics with deadly consequences downrange.
The 437 SFS recently acquired the Special Effect Small Arms Marking System, more commonly referred to as simunitions. Simunitions are a reduced energy, reduced impact, training ammunition that can be safely fired from existing service weapons. Upon impact, the simunitions round produces a detergent-based, water-soluble inert color marking very similar to a paintball.
While paintball guns do not look anything like real firearms, simunitions utilize the very same weapons used daily by Airmen. By simply changing out the bolt on the M-16 and the barrel on the M-9, Airmen will be able to utilize their own weapon in the course which adds to the realism of the training scenario and builds the students' confidence in their weapons system and training in preparation for hostile environments.
Just like paintball, safety equipment, such as kevlar helmets, face shields, gloves, throat guards, flack vests and groin protectors, is required to prevent injury. However, even with the required safety equipment, an important part of the learning process while using simunitions is the pain penalty. If a student is engaged by the opposing forces, they will know instantly when they have been shot. The student will feel a mild sting and usually the most severe effect is a bruise the size of a pencil eraser at the point of impact.
An additional safety feature of the simunitions system is that once the weapons have been modified for simunitions use, they will no longer accept live ammunition, thus negating the chances of an accidental weapons discharge.
Before the simunitions could be used in an exercise environment, the instructors needed to be certified and the equipment and safety procedures tested. Recently, the security forces training cadre, along with Lt. Col. Seth McKee, 437 SFS commander, went out to the ECST training area, practiced with the new training equipment. The safety precautions that were established are sound and the equipment worked flawlessly. The only thing that took some getting used to was wearing the extra safety equipment. However, once the scenario started, adrenaline kicked in and the extra equipment was hardly noticed.
The security forces cadre was impressed with the new technology. Other than a slight marker bullet drop at ranges of over 50 meters, the characteristics of the weapons systems were maintained and close range accuracy was excellent. The minimum safe firing distance was reduced from 20 feet with blank ammunition down to just six feet with simunitions, which is a more realistic engagement range.
Simunitions use during ECST can be expected during late August after some minor problems, such as storage and cleaning of the safety equipment, are resolved.
With the addition of simunitions technology, students of ECST will be better prepared to meet the challenges faced in today's expeditionary Air Force.