Steady shooting prepares Airmen for contingencies

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Peter Reft
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  While Icemen from a wide array of career fields specialize in unique jobs around the base, they must all eventually set foot in one building to complete a segment of training required by all service members.

Combat Arms Training and Maintenance instructors train Airmen to fire live weapons before they deploy. Before live fire, however, shooters have access to an Engagement Skills Trainer, which allows personnel to test their skills in a computer-simulated scenario.

"The EST helps shooters work out all the 'kinks' before live firing," said Staff Sgt. Chanson Johnson, a 354th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor.  "It gives them hands-on training without spending too much time and ammo."

Staff Sgt. Justin Friedli, a 354th Civil Engineer Squadron operations manager, recently participated in an M4 carbine requalification and said the EST is a useful tool to help service members familiarize themselves with handling and firing weapons.

"The simulator was extremely easy to use and is safer for Airmen to become familiarized with the weapon before actually handling a live one," said Friedli. "It eases fears of young Airmen and those in career fields that don't fire weapons on a frequent basis."

Alaska's winters, which can reach 60 degrees below zero on the Fahrenheit scale, expose Airmen to sometimes life-threatening environments, but with the EST climate-controlled indoor training space, shooters can concentrate on their firing skills instead of risking frostbite.

"It's a controlled environment with air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter, and it cuts down the time spent outside when we're practicing loading, shooting, and reloading," said Johnson.

The EST helps save time spent outside by easing nervousness, which could cause Airmen to either rush or take longer due to procedure hesitation, Friedli added.
CATM instructors at the firing range serve a key role in preparing and enabling Icemen for deployment and the EST ensures they have the means to quickly and efficiently train Airmen to safely handle weapons.

"It helps us keep everybody deployment ready at any given moment; Airmen can come in here to maintain their proficiency so when the time comes, they're ready for live fire," said Johnson.