STAR Airmen trained to protect Ramstein

***image1***Airman Michael Barber walked slowly and cautiously toward the blue mini-van and looked into the windows.

Senior Airman Stephen Cotton had already ordered the driver out of the vehicle and told him to stand 20 feet away with his hands in the air. Airman Barber cleared the vehicle and Airman Cotton cleared the driver, who was new to the base and was lost.

The scenario was part of training for a new team of Airmen who stand ready to augment the 435th Security Forces Squadron at a moment’s notice.
Airman Barber is with the 435th Communications Squadron and Airman Cotton is with the 435th Logistics Readiness Squadron. And now, in addition to their regular duties, they are trained as the augmentation force in the security of Ramstein.

After four days of intensive training, where they learned how to stop, check and secure a suspicious vehicle; learned offensive rifle fighting techniques; and were taught how to respond to alarms and bomb threats, they went back to their respective squadrons where they wait to be called.

The Airmen were chosen to be part of a Selectively Trained and Ready team of Airmen from a number of squadrons on Ramstein who are qualified to augment Security Forces at any time.

***image2***STAR is part of a renewed base defense plan, which keeps trained and qualified Airmen on deck, “if, for example, we go into higher force protection,” said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Cooper, 435th Security Forces Squadron instructor. “On the radar scope is to have an augmentation force. If we need to man additional security posts, we can start calling names.”

At any given time, about a quarter of the 435th Security Forces Squadron is deployed, Sergeant Cooper said. The STAR Airmen are the augmentation force should there be a need for extra security.

“They may never get called,” Sergeant Cooper said. “But, if we had a 9-11 event, they will all be called. We are just trying to be ready.”

Training in groups of about 35, the Airmen prepared for a variety of scenarios and spent one day firing M-16s. If one, or all, of the STAR Airmen are called, they would partner with a member of Security Forces for the job.

“We teach them everything from weapons to handcuffing to rifle fighting,” Sergeant Cooper said.

Each squadron on Ramstein identified potential candidates for the program, Sergeant
Cooper said.

“Their names will remain on a list, and their certification is good for one year,” Sergeant Cooper said.

“I have 100 percent confidence in them,” he said.