NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 926th Security Forces Squadron, along with their active duty counterparts, participated in home station readiness training, April 5-17, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
The Leader Led Training Course is a readiness requirement designed to certify Security Forces personnel on instructor methodology, Defenders Edge or Defenders performance optimization, baton and Taser instructors, and basic combative instructors.
The mandatory requirement has been a training shortfall that the 926th Defenders have struggled to meet due to a shortage of certified LLTC instructors and COVID restrictions.
“We had slots scheduled for our members to go last year to Fort Bliss, Texas, but due to COVID, those slots were cancelled,” said Senior Master Sgt. Julious Del Rosario, 926th SFS, Programs and Readiness superintendent. “The only way we were getting certified was to bring in a LLTC Mobile training team from the 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron, Camp Guernsey, Wyoming.”
The mobile training team came about when Brig. Gen. Roy Collins, Director of Security Forces, and Chief Master Sgt. Brian L. Lewis, Security Forces Career Field Manager, came to Camp Guernsey to discuss how to conduct LLTC during a pandemic.
“Currently due to other mission requirements and COVID constraints, we at the 90th GCTS, are the only Regional Training Center currently teaching LLTC,” said Staff Sgt. Lynsey Bruzzi, 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron, LLTC course lead.
The course is designed for SF members to get certified to train squadron personnel on annual training requirements, as well as to receive the less than lethal certifications from the class.
“This class makes it easier for flight members to get the training they are required to have either on shift if it’s possible or take some of the workload off flight training days,” said Bruzzi.
The mobile team has certified approximately 120 personnel in the last 12 months, with this mobile training being the first for Air Force Reserve Command Defenders.
“This was a total force effort and coordination with the LLTC team and our active duty counterparts, 99th SFS at Nellis, to bring these instructors here,” said Del Rosario. “Sergeant Bruzzi has been awesome through this entire process from start to finish and I hope to help other reserve units in the future by connecting them with her team.”