Osan SFS, ROK army fend off opposing forces during BH 16-01

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Dillian Bamman
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Defending the men and women of Osan is one challenge to the 51st Security Forces Squadron, but defending an entire country is another.

To bring a force multiplier to the table, the 51st SFS defenders trained with the Republic of Korea army special operations forces during a training scenario May 11, here.

“We test our defenders by teaching them different ways attacks can happen. as well as strengthening our bonds with our ROK counterparts,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Swen Swearingen, 51st SFS NCO in charge of armistice plans.

The ROK SOF members deployed to Osan via HH-60P Pave Hawks earlier in the day.

While at Osan, their goal was to increase their interoperability with the base defenders for combat operation readiness.

“In a real situation, we need as much support to defend the base as possible,” said Swearingen. “They come down to help us out and give us a unique toolset to aide in our defense.

“While there is a sizeable language barrier between the two forces, they still get it done,” he added. “But when shots start getting fired, that language barrier doesn’t matter; it’s all about taking care of each other and completing the mission.”

The joint forces simulated live fire and “shoot, move and communicate” actions to thwart opposing forces, which consisted of Airmen new to the “Mustang Stampede.”

“Participating in OPFOR, you get a small taste of what you’ll be dealing with during your year stay here at Osan,” said Swearingen. They see how our on-duty defenders respond to incidents, and hopefully bring an outside perspective to the fight.”

Airman 1st Class Samantha Flores, 51st Security Forces Squadron fire team member, participated in the OPFOR program and caught her first experience of Osan’s iconic “Fight Tonight” readiness.

“This exercise is a lot more interactive than what I’ve experienced in the past,” said Flores “It was fun as well as informative. I got to see what to look forward to in the year ahead.”