Training for the Fight Published Nov. 3, 2009 By 2d Lt. Elizabeth Yarlett 315th Training Squadron GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas -- Have you ever wondered how your Armed Services prepare their intelligence troops for battle? On November 21, for Community Appreciation Day, residents of San Angelo will get to see exactly that. During Community Appreciation Day, visitors will be given the opportunity to tour Goodfellow Air Force Base. Among the sights will be Forward Operating Base Sentinel, a simulated FOB located on Goodfellow. FOB Sentinel is a cluster of tents surrounded by wire, sand bags and defensive positions. The U.S. Army uses FOB Sentinel to imitate conditions in Iraq or Afghanistan and gives their personnel realistic field conditions, both for post defense and intelligence collection practice. "Outside the wire" sits "IED Alley," a simulated bazaar that gives students practice in recognizing and responding to Improvised Explosive Devices. The bazaar is part of a village created for trainees to practice urban warfare during around-the-clock operations. Currently, students' training involves a 10-day exercise linked to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, home of the Joint Intelligence Combat Training Center. The FOB and urban terrain help trainees practice technical and practical skills. According to the noncommissioned officer responsible for operations, Army Master Sgt. Brandon Allen, the exceptional aspect of the training is that the students experience outcomes-based scenarios. For example, students listen to recorded radio broadcasts to practice collecting intelligence. Some days, those broadcasts include information about upcoming attacks. The day after listening to the broadcasts, the students patrol the village. During that patrol, the students might be attacked, and their decisions determine how the scenario develops. Lt. Col. Bichson Bush, 344th Military Intelligence Battalion commander, describes the training at FOB Sentinel as "the capstone training exercise for the 344th Military Intelligence Battalion." On Community Appreciation Day, visitors will be able to watch troops experience and respond to an IED attack. They will also see FOB Sentinel complete with static guards, static weapons display and Soldiers in full combat gear.
