Ramstein Air Base, Germany -- The 435th Contingency Response Group conducted Hybrid Airman training here, Nov. 7, 2019, to instill cross-functional knowledge across its units.
The 435th Construction and Training Squadron hosted this iteration of Hybrid Airman training and chose to familiarize Airmen on the Rapid Airfield Damage Repair (RADR) process. RADR encompasses all actions required to rapidly repair aircraft operating surfaces and localized infrastructure to recover operations at an airfield after attack, whether the airfield is offered for use by a host nation or established as a US operating location.
“In a complex, contested environment with a high attrition rate, we need our Airmen to be able to fill a variety of roles,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Jason Terry, 435th CRG commander.
The event, put together by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Travis Drouin, 435th CTS pavements and equipment maintenance craftsman, in hopes of giving attendees an “idea on how the RADR process works and how to operate the equipment associated within the RADR process.” Additionally, Drouin hopes that the training will “instill confidence in the student’s ability to operate the heavy machinery equipment.”
CRG Airmen were able to take away their own unique experience from the training.
“The most interesting thing I learned during the training was learning what (the equipment) does and what it is capable of doing,” said U.S Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donovan Reid, 435th Contingency Response Support Squadron, Aerospace Maintenance Flight, noncommissioned officer in charge. “As a crew chief, this training provides the necessary hands-on training in order to augment personnel tasked with building tents and other shelter options for contingency response forces.”
The 435th CRG is USAFE-AFAFRICA’s only open-the-base force. It provides scalable, cross-functional and rapidly deployable forces designed to assess and open airbases in order to perform initial airfield operations enabling rapid standup of combat operations anywhere in the area of responsibility. Hybrid Airman training provides the 435th CRG with cross-functional Airmen who are able to operate in austere environments.