News United States Air Force
 Beale AFB pilots new Multi-Capable Airman coursePublished Nov. 11, 2023
                        
                        By Senior Airman Juliana Londono
                        
                        
                        9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
                **BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) --**
                **Beale Air Force Base** recently piloted its first **Multi-Capable Airman** course, with members from career fields across the **9th Reconnaissance Wing** participating Oct. 16–27.

Wing leadership directed the course's creation to support the Air Force’s **Agile Combat Employment** concept. ACE requires the expedient movement of personnel and equipment to support the recovery, refueling, and launching of assets with a smaller footprint.U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Taylor Dennis, 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron electrical and environmental technician, shoots an M249 while Staff Sgt. Michael Courey, 9th Security Forces Squadron defender, supervises during the Multi-Capable Airmen Tier-1 course Oct. 18, 2023, at Beale Air Force Base, California.Senior Airman Taylor Dennis, 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron electrical and environmental technician, shoots an M249 while Staff Sgt. Michael Courey, 9th Security Forces Squadron defender, supervises during the Multi-Capable Airmen Tier-1 course Oct. 18, 2023, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. The MCA Tier-1 course is the first iteration held at Beale AFB and qualifies Airmen in multiple skills ranging from base defense to cargo handling. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Juliana Londono)
            
            
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The intent of the course is to develop Airmen who are proficient in their primary AFSC by equipping them with expeditionary skills and training which they can employ in deployed environments or on home station if needed, according to Maj. Matthew Mays, 9th Reconnaissance Wing A4 (Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection) director.  

“Not only does this training help prepare our Airmen for successfully supporting the day-to-day mission downrange, but it also helps support the future of Agile Combat Employment operations at forward operating sites and contingency locations,” Mays said. “It is part of an Air Force initiative to move away from large-scale force packages and prepare units to operate as leaner, more agile forces within a permissive environment.”

The class was comprised of 24 students ranging from maintainers to paralegals who had prepared by completing **Ready Airman Training**, covering combat arms and training maintenance, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives training and other combat topics, before beginning MCA training.U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Elizabeth Babbitt, 9th Operations Support Squadron airfield operations flight commander, briefs Airmen during the Multi-Capable Airmen Tier-1 course Oct. 27, 2023, at Beale Air Force Base, California.First Lt. Elizabeth Babbitt, 9th Operations Support Squadron airfield operations flight commander, briefs Airmen during the Multi-Capable Airmen Tier-1 course Oct. 27, 2023, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. Airmen viewed the area of operations before being sent out to different areas during the two-week course. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Juliana Londono)
            
            
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Instructors considered subject matter experts in their respective fields were chosen to teach concepts necessary to qualify graduates as multi-capable Airmen. Staff Sgt. Clayton Johnson, 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels mobile distribution supervisor, was one of the instructors during the course.

“I was here to teach [all-terrain] forklift operations,” Johnson said. “This portion is important because when we go downrange, if we have to drive a forklift and do not have a certified forklift operator, we can still move cargo that comes in and out of aircraft.”

In the two-week course, instructors taught concepts including tactical combat casualty care, air base ground defense, aircraft familiarization and safety protocols. The course culminated in an all-day field training exercise where Airmen applied their new knowledge.
 
The exercise involved a small shelter system setup, entry control point setup, tactical movements and complex assault and recovery actions. Students were tasked with successfully passing every event presented to them both in the classroom and field training event to receive the MCA qualification.

The 9th RW plans to provide this course for Airmen once per quarter. Airmen who become certified in the course must also participate in at least one certifying event, such as a large-scale readiness exercise, every two years during their ready phase to retain their proficiency.An Airman from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing conduct Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) to a simulated injured Airman during the Multi-Capable Airmen Tier-1 course Oct. 27, 2023, at Beale Air Force Base, California.An Airman from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing conducts Tactical Combat Casualty Care on a simulated injured Airman during Beale Air Force Base’s Multi-Capable Airman Tier-1 course Oct. 27, 2023, at Beale AFB, Calif. TCCC was one of the multiple tasks that students had to demonstrate proficiency in to gain the MCA qualification. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Juliana Londono)
            
            
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Beale has employed these concepts during exercises such as **Dragon Flag East** and **Dragon Fang**, which tested the wing’s ability to employ ACE and MCA capabilities. The new course allows Airmen to receive MCA training in a formal setting for the first time.

“Being a Multi-Capable Airman is about generating airpower,” said Chief Master Sgt. Breanna Oliver, 9th RW command chief. “We can all contribute to that no matter what our function is because at the end of the day, we need to get planes in the air. That is what we bring to the joint force.”

MCA provides a critical role in sustaining a more lethal force ready to face near-peer adversaries and efficiently execute the mission around the globe.LR 



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