Special Warfare Airmen Conduct Jungle Warfare
by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer May 11,
2022
The 38th Rescue Squadron’s Blue Team
traveled to Wahiawa, Hawaii to conduct jungle warfare training,
March 26 - April 10, 2022.
Moody Air Force Base’s
pararescuemen are special warfare operators charged with the
responsibility of rescuing personnel all over the world. As such,
it’s vital they familiarize themselves with all types of
environments.
In an effort to sharpen their capabilities in
rescue operations throughout the Indo-Pacific region, Blue Team
learned how to track personnel in the jungle.
U.S. Air Force pararescuemen assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron Blue Team, during jungle warfare training in Wahiawa, Hawaii, March 31, 2022. Blue Team took turns tracking down their teammates in the jungle using techniques they learned from Tactical Tracking Operations School instructors. The 38th RQS trained in jungle warfare to adapt personnel rescue tactics, techniques and procedures for the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer)
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“The jungle is
a very unforgiving environment,” said Lt. Col. Michael Vins, 38th
RQS commander. “There are areas in the jungle where you can only
travel 100 meters in an entire day. We need to be ready for that
kind of environment by training there, understanding how to survive
there, using different equipment … everything is so different, so we
need to get used to that kind of environment to be effective in
(Indo-Pacific Command).”
Blue Team put their tactics,
techniques and procedures (TTP) to the test in a climate they had
never experienced before by performing a series of training
scenarios to include team vs team tracking and anti-tracking
exercises.
“Over the last 20 years, we've gotten
really good at desert warfare with the war in Afghanistan and Iraq,”
said Staff Sgt. Evan Rogowski, 38th RQS Blue Team pararescueman.
“With that kind of phasing away, and the new area of responsibility
quickly becoming the INDOPACOM region, we're really having to take a
step back from some of the older TTPs that seemed to work well in
the desert and figure out how to adapt to this environment, which is
way more difficult to operate in.”
Upon arriving in the
jungle, the team set up an outpost to conduct operations. Over the
duration of five days and four nights, they survived with only the
rucks on their backs and the knowledge they gained as special
warfare operators in the Air Force. Rogowski said one of the biggest
challenges they faced was the weather.
“It’s pretty
unpredictable out here in the jungle,” Rogowski said. “It can be
raining in the morning and then completely sunny in the afternoon,
and back to rain. Outside of carrying the proper equipment, there’s
not much we can do to control that.”
The unique experience
tested their ability to adapt in an unforgiving environment. To
combat the risks associated with sleeping on the ground, the team
slept in enclosed hammocks.
Encounters with centipedes,
spiders, steep inclines and thick foliage made it difficult to
execute the mission. Despite the challenges, the team was able to
effectively track their targets in the jungle. Using tactical
formations and hand signals, they practiced combatting potential
threats from simulated enemies and booby traps.
“As highly
trained special warfare operators, we’re always thinking about
modern-day warfare and high-tech weapon systems, but something so
primitive like grenades that roll out of bamboo if you kick the
wrong stick over is enough to wipe us all out,” said Staff Sgt. Evan
Orth, 38th RQS Blue Team pararescueman. “Getting this training makes
us more aware of threats we would have never expected in this
environment, which could be the difference in saving not only our
lives but the life of the person we’re trying to locate on the
ground.”
Blue Team learned mostly through action, however
instructors from the Tactical Tracking Operations School also
provided an array of tips in a classroom setting before they
ventured out into the jungle.
“They’ll sleep in the field for
four nights to give them an opportunity to live in the environment,
assess their gear, work out the little kinks or whatnot and make
sure their sleeping systems are good,” said Pete Kerr, TTOS
president and instructor. “The more time you spend out in the field,
you start to hone those senses.”
Kerr expressed the
importance of attention to detail. Whether tracking an adversary or
a missing ally, such as a downed pilot, being able to notice subtle
disturbances in the terrain is crucial to finding a target.
“What that's doing is programming the subconscious mind to pick up
on these indicators,” Kerr said.
TTOS provided detailed
hands-on training enabling the special warfare operators to
determine a person’s direction of travel and intent.
“That
footprint is going to explain a story to you,” Rogowski said. “Where
that person went, what they did, how fast they were moving, where
they’re going to, are they paranoid? And I think that's kind of hard
to put into words unless you've actually been there.”
Using
the skills they learned during the training scenarios, the team was
put to the test in a final two-day, one-night exercise. During the
exercise, Blue Team tracked a simulated downed pilot while
traversing the terrain undetected from potential danger. Once they
retrieved the isolated personnel, the team made their way to an
extraction point.
After a sleepless 24 hours and hiking 6 km
through grueling terrain, the team completed their mission.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Evan Orth, 38th Rescue Squadron Blue Team pararescueman, crosses a waterway using a rope system during jungle warfare training in Wahiawa, Hawaii, April 1, 2022. Blue Team practiced crossing the waterway to test their capabilities in the jungle environment. The 38th RQS trained in jungle warfare to adapt personnel rescue tactics, techniques and procedures for the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer)
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By the end of the two-week course, Blue
Team gained the knowledge necessary to refine their TTPs for the
unique jungle environment, thus enabling them to operate effectively
in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The culmination of this exercise
validates the effectiveness the rescue teams will have in a
contested jungle environment,” Rogowski said. “The lessons and
skills learned here will further expand the way we operate in the
INDOPACOM area of responsibility. We’ll take these lessons and shape
our TTPs for the future of special operations, personnel recovery,
and combat search and rescue.”
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