Ground Combat Training Squadron gains new capability

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Airmen here are training with a new asset that may one day save their lives. 

The Ground Combat Training Squadron recently acquired 10 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armored fighting vehicles. These vehicles, designed to survive IED attacks and ambushes, add another dimension to the curriculum of the squadron's schoolhouse which provides flexible training to security forces personnel prior to deployment. The MRAPs, with their distinctive V-shape hulls and beefy profile, may be seen on the roadways around the base.
 
Master Sgt. Howard Stahl, GCTS'NCOIC for Logistics, said the MRAPs are a great addition to the schoolhouse. 

"Students will have training on what the warfighters are going to see when they get downrange," Sergeant Stahl said. 

The students will spend 32 hours training on vehicle operations. The training focuses on driving the vehicle, safety and operating the equipment mounted inside. While many of the students have experience with Humvees, the MRAPs are larger, wider and taller. 

Staff Sgt. Robert Springer, NCOIC for Force Protection Technologies, there's an entirely different feel to the MRAPS. Scenarios for use in training have been developed for the students, including convoy operations. They can also be used as live-fire platforms for exercises.

"We'll be using them both on base and off base out on the ranges," Sergeant Springer said. "People might see them out on the roads as we have to cross main roads to get to the range." 

Sergeant Springer asks that the base populace to give the MRAPs some room on the road" when they see them on or off base. 

"The MRAPs have many blind spots for the operators not unlike those found on a semi-tractor trailer," he said, "so drivers need to use caution around them."