ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- The 36th Contingency Response Group (CRG) embarked on a 6-month training plan to leverage the 52 different AFSCs and create synergy and interoperability amongst personnel and the teams. Each of the 5 squadrons developed training plans to teach Multi-Capable Airmen (MCA) skillsets to their battle buddies.
The 36th CRG training day executes immersive training across 5 squadrons on partner nation enhancement, construction, and warfighting objectives. The implementation of hands-on training allows for an authentic experience, increasing Airmen’s awareness of what each unit brings to the fight. In logistics, it’s vital to understand the structure and function of other units so you can effectively and efficiently problem solve, ultimately accomplishing the mission together. The CRG is no different. Its diversity demands deliberate synchronization to truly home in on readiness and response, now more than ever.
The group was split into cross functional teams and rotate through each station for the next 6 months to learn activities including, but not limited to, sprawl repair, heavy machine gun operations, personnel clearing, combatives, ethernet cable construction, Starlink operations, radio operations, pallet buildup, landing zone ops, and forklift familiarization. The 36 CRG is MCA by design, but the unit is able to build synergy and camaraderie while becoming a more efficient Agile Combat Employment (ACE) force.
We are the most unique CR units in the Air Force arsenal. There are over 441 Airmen and 52 AFSCs within the Group. As tested in exercise Mobility Guardian 23, operating on Andersen AFB requires a degree of integration not found in stateside CR units. Monthly CRG training days allow all members from five squadrons to discover, learn, and leverage each other’s equipment and expertise. This synergy is what makes us more than a sum of our parts; it is the secret sauce that allows us to overcome the tyranny of distance to project airpower from the Forward Edge and beyond.