The 55th Rescue Squadron is raising the bar when it comes to preparing to win the high-end fight.

Transcript

Over the past two years the 55th Rescue Squadron has been developing a new training program, that we call the phase training program and this is designed to keep the 55th in a constant state of readiness to deploy to those high end constant degrading environments and be able to conduct military operations. Air Troop currencies dictate how often we need to complete certain training events. Varying from weapons employment, to water rescue operations, to air refuel, and it wouldn’t be uncommon previously for us to have all those events back to back in the same week. What this causes us to be doing was being in a constant state of chasing those currencies and never really allowing ourselves to deep dive into the higher end tactics or the more complex mission systems. Now because of the phase training program, generally you’re flying one sortie profile throughout the entire week, which allows you to build upon and improve every single time you go out the door to go fly that same profile, which also allows us to make the set up in the scenario more and more complex, which is the overall goal is being able to take this same training techniques that we’re doing at Davis-Mothan, and take it to a near peer fight where we’re fighting against an enemy that’s a lot more sophisticated than we’ve been fighting in the past. Previously there were certifications that were only being achieved at the weapons school. Now the 55th with the phase training program is getting enough repetitions and enough exposure to these same kind of training sorties that we’re having air crew that are permanently assigned here to the 55th, actually achieving some of those certifications, like the BHM certification, which is Basic Helicopter Maneuvering, ACM, so Air Combat Maneuvering, where we actually train to fly one helicopter versus another enemy helicopter, or a enemy fixed wing aircraft, and other certifications that previously only weapons officers were able to obtain. The 355th Wing Commander has identified the 55th’s phase training program as a new way to raise the bar and set a higher standard, that hopefully can be followed throughout the rest of the combat Air Force. It’s allowing our crew to be more highly trained more versatile, and more constantly combat ready so we can head out the door at any given time.