HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The 49th Security Forces Squadron held a Special Reactions Team tryout at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, June 9, 2023. These tryouts qualified the top applicant for official training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in order to obtain an SRT Level-1 certification and become part of the Holloman SRT.
SRTs are a specially trained group of military law enforcement officers who respond to high-risk situations that require a higher level of tactical expertise.
“The objective for the Special Reactions Team is to take a group of specifically trained individuals and train them to counter any situation that regular patrolmen might not be able to deal with as effectively,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chandler Docusen, 49th Security Forces Squadron unit trainer. “The goal is to encourage competitiveness by selecting one or two defenders to attend the course encouraging our defenders to constantly be developing and improving their skills.”
SRTs are the Air Force equivalent to civilian police SWAT units, with special training to handle barricaded suspects, active shooters and other particularly dangerous situations.
“There are three foundational areas we dive into when evaluating candidates and that is tactics, marksmanship and physicality,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jacob Brown, 49th Security Forces Squadron chief of standards and evaluations, weapons and tactics. “We look for defenders that know how to problem solve when faced with complex and stressful situations. If you freeze when met with adversity, you can be a liability to yourself and the team. We don’t necessarily need the strongest or fastest, but we do need applicants who can handle themselves, their equipment, and be able to get an objective quickly and effectively.”
SRTs work on an emergency basis to ensure the safety of both civilian and military members.
“Our defenders across the Security Forces enterprise are some of the most skilled, well-trained, and dynamic conventional forces within the Department of Defense,” said Brown. “A course like SRT only enhances our local capabilities to most effectively conduct air base defense and law & order operations at Holloman Air Force Base.”