Georgia-based Air Force pilots were deployed to the Pacific this spring for jungle war training. Such training is not new to US troops, but the exercise comes as the US military shifts its focus to a possible Indo-Pacific conflict with China – where US conventional forces and special operations forces may be located. against a well-armed enemy in a dense, drowned jungle. Air Force Special Operations Command commandos from Moody’s 38th Rescue Squadron spent nearly a month between March and April in Hawaii to improve their jungle warfare skills. As paratroopers, these commandos focused their training on locating personnel in the jungle and avoiding self-monitoring, while also testing their tactics, techniques and procedures on other skill sets. In a press release, Lt. Col. Michael Vince, the squadron commander, noted that the jungle is a “very ruthless environment” and that US special operators “must be prepared for this kind of environment by training there, understanding how to survive.” there”. Air Force Special Warfare Pilots learn about surveillance in the Wahiawa Jungle, March 29, 2022. US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer As US expert pilots found in World War II and Vietnam, the jungle is probably one of the most difficult places to fight. Visibility is limited – sometimes just a few meters – and the environment is fraught with dangers, including poisonous plants and deadly animals, that can put troops out of action quickly enough. “US troops had to ‘take a step back’ from what worked in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan and understand what is going on in the jungle, ‘which is much harder to do,’” he said. said Evan Rogowski in the announcement. “It’s quite unpredictable out here,” Rogowski added. “It may be raining in the morning and then completely sunny in the afternoon and it may be raining again. Apart from transporting the proper equipment, there is not much we can do to control it.” During the Vietnam War, U.S. Special Operations Teams Reviewed by Top Secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam – Group Studies and Observations Lived and fought in the jungles of Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Kong troops and fought ongoing battles against an often overwhelming enemy. The MACV-SOG continues to influence modern U.S. special operations, but many of the jungle warfare skills developed by Vietnam-era pilots have atrophied. Staff Sgt. Evan Orth writes coordinates while Staff Sgt. Evan Rogowski uses a radio during a surveillance exercise in Wahiawa, April 1, 2022. US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer “As well-trained special warfare pilots, we always think of modern warfare and high-tech weapons systems, but something as primitive as bamboo grenades if you kick the wrong stick is enough to wipe us all out,” said Staff Sgt. Orth in the announcement. The importance of basic combat skills and tactical small units is constant where troops are located, but what troops need to do to apply them properly can change radically in different locations. Orth added that with jungle training, paratroopers would be “more aware of the threats” they would not otherwise expect. Watching people in the jungle is doubly important for attendees and other expert pilots. Whether chasing an enemy or trying to save a friend, the principles are the same. The “trace” of this goal “will tell you a story,” Rogowski told the release. “Where did this person go, what did he do, how fast was he moving, where is he going, is it paranoid? And I think it’s a bit difficult to put into words, unless you really went there.”
Airbrush
An Air Force paratrooper climbs a tree to secure a tarpaulin over a campground in the Wahiawa Jungle, March 29, 2022. US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer
The US Air Force Special Operations Command is a component of the US Special Operations Command Air Force, and the Air Force provides air transportation, closed air support, precision strikes, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to other Special Operations Units. AFSOC itself has two elements. In the air, it handles a variety of special operations aircraft, including the AC-130 “Spooky” cannon, the CV-22 Osprey reclining rotor, the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft supported by other US commando units. On the ground, AFSOC paratroopers, reconnaissance pilots, combat controllers and regular air control commands reinforce other special operations units individually or in groups, acting as a liaison with air forces. Air Force paratroopers installed a rope system to cross a waterway in the Wahiawa Jungle, April 1, 2022. US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer Pararescue is unique in the US military. The paratroopers specialize in search and rescue and recruitment and are probably some of the most capable doctors in the entire army. Reflecting their motto, “for others to live on”, paratroopers are ready to deploy anywhere to seek out or retrieve American troops. To do this, paratroopers must be familiar and competent in any business environment. “The lessons and skills acquired here will further extend the way we operate in the Indo-Pacific,” Rogowski said of the exercise in Hawaii. “We will take these lessons and shape our own [tactics, techniques, and procedures] for the future of special operations, personnel recovery and the search and rescue battle “. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a veteran of the Greek Army (national service in the 575th Marine Battalion and Army Headquarters) and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University.
