Security forces airmen deploy a lot. It's a part of the job that has seen Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shaun Bush deploy five times during his 11 years in the Air Force.
That experience is one reason Air Force leaders chose him to lead a team for more than 200 days during his most recent deployment to Southwest Asia, as 10 airmen assigned to the 50th Security Forces Squadron here deployed from June to December in 2013 as a “Fly-away Security Team.”
Air Force FAST teams protect aircrews and airplanes in hostile areas. They fly on specific missions to various deployed locations to ensure the safety and security of aircraft and crew members.
"We trained specifically on how to perform the FAST mission, how to handle ourselves, how to secure others, the flight, the airplane the aircrew and passengers," Bush said. "It's a vitally important job, because a pilot is not trained in hand-to-hand combat, nor is he or she trained to handle things that we are trained to handle.
“A loadmaster is there to manage the plane's cargo, not worry about security,” he continued. “That task lies with us. We're there to make sure the crew members can focus on their jobs."
Team Members Require Specific Skills
A FAST assignment requires specific skills. Security forces airmen must complete Evasion Conduct After Capture and FAST training prior to deploying.
Bush said this particular team, known as the 451st Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron FAST, provided flight deck and perimeter security for C-130 Hercules and crews as they conducted air operations. The team flew more than 700 missions, 2,400 sorties and transported more than 23,500 people, including 55 detainees. Their missions carried 11,000 tons of cargo to 24 different landing zones in seven countries.
"It was exciting, for sure," Bush said, noting that his team often landed on dirt runways and made up the full extent of security on the ground.
High Operations Tempo
The team also worked an extremely high operations tempo, Bush said, as the U.S. military conducted drawdown operations in the region.
Every member of the team received a medal upon returning here, and Bush, now a 50th Space Wing inspector, said the team’s deployed commander was extremely appreciative of their service.
"There were a lot of long days," Bush said. "But, given the opportunity, I would do it again in a heartbeat. We moved a lot of people -- our people out and host-country soldiers in."
Bush's team was the second of three FAST teams to deploy from the 50th Security Forces Squadron in the past three years.
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