Security Forces Employ Tough, Agile Vehicle

>The US Air Force has deployed Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Iraq, where it has taken sole responsibility for defending Balad air base. (USAF photo)JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --- When the Airmen of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Group took sole responsibility for base defense here in October, they did so with one of the Defense Department's newest armored vehicles.>> The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, already is used by Air Force security forces, but never before has it been employed it on this scale.>> During a Jan. 18 visit to the Space and Naval Warfare Center MRAP Facility in Charleston, S.C., Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, "There is no failsafe measure that can prevent all loss of life and limb on this or any other battlefield. That is the brutal reality of war. But vehicles like the MRAP, combined with the right tactics, techniques and procedures, provide the best protection available against these attacks.">> Before security forces could employ the MRAPs, they had to learn how to use them. Army Chief Warrant Officer Todd Jeno, U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command MRAP program coordinator here, oversaw the training, which included driving the vehicle, operating all the interior controls and equipment and performing basic maintenance.>> Soldiers and contractors conducted the training here in a 40-hour course over three days.>> "They seemed a little more attentive than others," said Mr. Jeno, referring to the Air Force security forces members who attended the class. "They've never seen this type of big vehicle, so they paid close attention and got a good grasp of everything they could.