Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (July 21, 2024): The Air Force has established a unique training program to teach lifesaving and combat skills to Airmen in all career fields. In this photo by Airman Liberty Matthews, Airmen carry a mannequin on a stretcher during the field phase of Tactics and Leadership Nexus training. For many of these Airmen, this is the first time they’ve held a weapon or been exposed to other combat skills since basic training. The course is both a refresher and a reminder that all Airmen are expected to be combat ready, regardless of their occupation.

The Air Force chose Dover for the first Tactics and Leadership Nexus training facility at a cost of $400,000 in 2020. The program includes group leadership challenges, first aid, chemical defense, weapons familiarization, and realistic combat simulations.

This two-day program includes shoot-move-communicate drills, coping with unexploded ordnance, land navigation, and active shooter scenarios. The course begins with classroom sessions covering self-aid and buddy care, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear training, weapons familiarization, and critical thinking.

Next, the action moves to the field where Airmen don protective gear and are exposed to tear gas to ensure their equipment is fitted correctly. Students will negotiate a leadership reaction course consisting of obstacles and puzzles that Airman must lead each other through. The highlight of the training is a simulated “battle” between opposing forces as they attempt to move through a village while providing combat aid to dummies representing casualties.

The instructors are volunteers from various career fields, and many have combat and weapons training experience. Airmen are required to go through this challenging course every three years to remain “fit to fight” regardless of the job they do.