Fourteen Afghan air force members of the Kabul Air Wing Quick Reaction Force Company graduated from Ground Combat Skills Course in a ceremony May 29 at Kabul International Airport here.

The graduation marked the completion of fifty hours of advanced upgrade training for the most recent members of the QRF Company. The graduation and continued advancements made by the Afghan security forces members is significant to the force protection and security of Afghanistan because the coalition begins to attract down inside the country.

“We have a saying,” said Lt. Col. Shir Mohammad, an air wing security forces commander. “‘The more you sweat in training, the fewer you bleed in war.’ Never forget your training and pass it directly to those around you.”

The team trained on numerous styles of procedures including mounted and dismounted operations, military operations in urban terrain, close-quarters battle, clearing buildings, entry-control point operations, combat lifesaver and advanced M-16 rifle utilization.

“It was truly a proud moment in my life to peer these soldiers graduate and become portion of the Kabul QRF team,” said Master Sgt. Richard Blackstone, a safety forces adviser with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan. “They are able to fight and defend their country.”

The class was created and planned by both coalition advisors from NATC-A and Afghan air force QRF veterans. The learning of the category was also conducted by both Afghans and their advisers. Besides training the brand new members, the principle goal of the category was to coach the Afghans to be trainers themselves. At some point, this will likely allow advisers to step back from the educational process so as to enable a more sustainable security forces and QRF company because the NATO training mission begins to attract down.

“Our Afghan partners demonstrated a really effective joint training concept before and through the course,” said Capt. Michael Morriss, a NATC-a safety forces adviser. “There’s without doubt in my mind that this may become a sustainable program and supply increased training and protection usually to the Afghan air force sooner or later.”

The Kabul Air Wing QRF company is currently made of greater than 130 security forces members. Their mission is to behave as a mobile security team at the base and feature the aptitude to reply at a moment’s notice.

At the realization of the ceremony, the latest members of the QRF company received the air wing’s QRF company patch; representing the labor and coaching endured that allows you to join this advanced force.

“To the graduates of this system the patch symbolizes their dedication and the joining of a more elite group of fighters,” Morriss said. “They’ve joined the pantheon of warriors who’ve roamed these mountains for one thousand years to fight for a cause they suspect in.”