Smokescreens, sandbags, frozen creeks and empty mags Published March 3, 2022 By Eric M. White 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs CAMP JAMES A. GARFIELD JOINT MILITARY TRAINING CENTER, Ohio -- When the crew door of a C-5 Galaxy opened on the ramp at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, Feb. 6, 2022, it was the first time some of the 40 Defenders debarking the aircraft had ever seen snow. The forecast for the next two weeks called for some of the coldest temperatures they’d ever experienced. But that didn’t stop the members of the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. They came to YARS for the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an innovative approach to training Reserve Defenders which just entered its first full year of operations.IDLC kicked off in 2021. Air Force Reserve Security Forces squadrons send unit members to YARS for approximately two weeks as either IDLC students or opposing force members under the experienced leadership of cadre members from multiple units. Students are taken through an intense, hands-on training experience targeting training deficits and enhancing real-world combat capabilities. Their time is split between YARS and Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio.The facility offerings and proximity of YARS and CJAG make it the ideal home for IDLC. The former offers well-equipped lodging, food service and transportation capabilities, simplifying the logistics of housing Defenders from across Air Force Reserve Command for two-week stints seven or eight times a year. YARS also has ample classroom space for workshops and operation planning.The installation’s 910th Security Forces Squadron recently cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art training facility that includes an indoor combatives room. Cadre members lead IDLC students through building entry procedures, room-clearing drills using modular walls and close-quarters combat drills, taking advantage of the padded floors and walls. These drills require students to remain calm, determining and executing the best course of action in unique scenarios and high-stress environments.YARS also has ample outdoor space for students to run battle drills and practice lead tactical squad movements.CJAG’s unique offering is primarily space—20 thousand acres of it—with areas that seem developed specifically for the type of training IDLC provides. Several land-navigation courses teach students to move through challenging terrain using compasses, maps and geographic markers, all while facing the possibility of engagement by opposing force members.YARS’ indoor firing range can accommodate several weapon systems and firing positions, but CJAG has wide open, 300-meter pop-up target ranges for honing marksmanship at greater distances. An outdoor pistol range also provides pop-up targets for shooting drills. Several disused buildings provide realistic combat environments for assault operations and varied terrain makes for good static defense locations.The February course, which concluded on Feb. 21, was the first iteration in the throes of winter and occurred during a period that saw near-zero temperatures, as much as twelve inches of snow in some places, freezing precipitation and occasional thaws that caused normally traversable creeks in the training areas of CJAG to rush with water and ice, six feet deep. The grounds of the outdoor training environments were either frozen solid, shin-deep in snow or chillingly slush-soaked marshes, depending on the day and time of day. 220215-F-PO120-0058 Master Sgt. Adela Nedzweckas and Master Sgt. Kevin Ray, both Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, discuss tactical defense positions during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. Nedzweckas and Ray were squad leaders for the event. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0058 220215-F-PO120-0004 Senior Airman Karl Knieriem, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, scans his surroundings for movement while keeping his M249 light machine gun at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0004 220215-F-WH833-1016 Staff Sgt. David Greenwood, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, packs snow to camouflage the sandbags around his position during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Noah Tancer) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-WH833-1016 220215-F-WH833-1078 A Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, tracks an unidentified person in the woods while keeping his M4 rifle at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Noah J. Tancer) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-WH833-1078 220215-F-UU934-2134 Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, discuss tactics during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-2134 220215-F-PO120-0043 Staff Sgt. David Greenwood, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, scans his surroundings while keeping his M4 rifle at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mr. Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0043 220215-F-UU934-1116 Senior Airman Karl Knieriem, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, scans his surroundings for movement while keeping his M249 light machine gun at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1116 220215-F-UU934-1217 Staff Sgt. Annallisse Jaramillo, an Integrated Defense Leadership Course cadre team member, observes as Staff Sgt. Madison Bedor, an IDLC student, scans the horizon with her scope from a dug-in position during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. Bedor is a Defender with 926th Security Forces Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, while Jaramillo is a Defender with the 349th Security Forces Squadron, Travis AFB, California. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1217 220215-F-UU934-1027 Senior Airman Karl Knieriem, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, scans his surroundings for movement while keeping his M249 light machine gun at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1027 220215-F-PO120-0100 A Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, tracks an unidentified person in the woods while keeping his M4 rifle at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0100 Defenders in the Snow Staff Sgt. Sydney Whiteis (left), a Defender with the 934th Security Forces Squadron based at Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, observes her Integrated Defense Leadership Course students during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Feb. 15, 2022. Whiteis served as a cadre member during the IDLC, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Defenders in the Snow 220215-F-PO120-0151 A Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, tracks an unidentified person in the woods while keeping his M4 rifle at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0151 220215-F-PO120-0447 Senior Airman Calvin To, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engages assaulting opposing force members from a dug-in position with M4 blank fire during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0447 220215-F-WH833-1249 Senior Airman Karl Knieriem and Airman Devin Hunter, Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, scan their surroundings for opposing forces during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The IDLC, which takes place at CJAG and Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, provides Reserve Defenders with focused, hands-on training to achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Noah J. Tancer) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-WH833-1249 220215-F-UU934-1931 A Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engages opposing force members with blank fire from his M4 rifle during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1931 220215-F-PO120-0293 Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engage assaulting opposing force members from a dug-in position with M4 blank fire during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0293 220215-F-PO120-0297 A smoke canister emits yellow smoke amid an array of spent blank round casings in the snow at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022, during a static defense exercise. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. This IDLC course was attended by members of the 926th Security Forces Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0297 Poppin' Smoke A smoke canister emits yellow smoke in the snow at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022, during a static defense exercise. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. This IDLC course was attended by members of the 926th Security Forces Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Poppin' Smoke 220215-F-PO120-0298 Staff Sgt. David Greenwood and his fellow Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engage assaulting opposing force members from a dug-in position with M4 blank fire during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0298 220215-F-PO120-0356 Senior Airman Karl Knieriem, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, loads a magazine into his M249 light machine gun during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0356 220215-F-UU934-1671 Senior Airman Karen De Luna De La Cruz, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engages opposing force members with blank fire from her M249 light machine gun during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1671 220215-F-UU934-1656 Senior Airman Karen De Luna De La Cruz, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engages opposing force members with blank fire from her M249 light machine gun during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1656 220215-F-PO120-0228 Staff Sgt. David Greenwood, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engages opposing forces during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0228 220215-F-PO120-0266 Master Sgt. Adela Nedzweckas (back), Staff Sgt. Madison Bedor (middle) and Senior Airman Kristen Wurtz (front), all Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, engage assaulting opposing force members from a dug-in position with M4 blank fire during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0266 220215-F-PO120-0125 A group of Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, takes cover behind trees while watching for opposing force movement during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0125 220215-F-UU934-1209 Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, waves forward his squadmates while scouting for opposing forces during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1209 220215-F-PO120-0121 Staff Sgt. David Greenwood, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, returns from a patrol through snowy forest during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0121 220215-F-UU934-1165 Tech. Sgt. Almon Mahaffy, a Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, scans his surroundings while keeping his M4 rifle at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1165 220215-F-UU934-1180 A patrolling Defender assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, scans his surroundings while keeping his M4 rifle at the ready during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1180 220215-F-UU934-1224 Defenders with 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students discuss their static defense position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1224 220215-F-PO120-0486 Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, Tech. Sgt. Darrall Williams, Senior Airman Evanelly Gomez and Senior Airman Markeas White, all Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, remain vigilant against assaulting opposing force members from a dug-in position with M4 blank fire during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat-readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0486 220215-F-UU934-1031 A standard range card in the snow at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, shows areas of defensive coverage for the dug-in position of members of the 926th Security Forces Squadron during a static defense exercise, Feb. 15, 2022. The 926th SFS Defenders, from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, came to Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, and CJAG for the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, a two-week, intense, hands-on training experience designed to enhance combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1031 220215-F-UU934-1564 Tech. Sgt. Nathan Ellcessor, a Defender with the 445th Security Forces Squadron, based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, observes his Integrated Defense Leadership Course students during a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. Ellcessor served as a cadre member during the IDLC, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-UU934-1564 220215-F-PO120-0499 Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, Senior Airman Evanelly Gomez and Senior Airman Markeas White, all Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, pose for a photo in their dug-in position at the end of a static defense exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2022. The exercise was part of the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220215-F-PO120-0499 220218-F-UU934-0030 Tech. Sgt. John Colby, a Defender with the 720th Security Forces Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and Integrated Defense Leadership Course cadre member, demonstrates how to install a trip-wire warning charge at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Colby was the opposing force team leader, responsible for instructing members of the 926th Security Forces Squadron. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness, based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0030 220218-F-UU934-0055 Tech. Sgt. John Colby, a Defender with the 720th Security Forces Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and Integrated Defense Leadership Course cadre member, demonstrates how to install a trip-wire warning charge at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Colby was the opposing force team leader, responsible for instructing members of the 926th Security Forces Squadron from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness, based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0055 220218-F-UU934-0331 A team of 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students assault on an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. The Defenders recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0331 220218-F-UU934-0355 Staff Sgt. David Greenwood leads his fellow 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students in an assault on an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. The Defenders recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0355 Combat-ready Defenders 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students assault an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. The Defenders recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Combat-ready Defenders Ready to go, through smoke and snow Defenders with the 926th Security Forces Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, assault an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Feb. 18, 2022. The Defenders, who were students in the Integrated Defense Leadership Course, recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Ready to go, through smoke and snow 220218-F-UU934-0395 Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, watches for opposing force members while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Feb. 18, 2022. Taylor and his team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0395 Locked On Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, watches for opposing force members while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Taylor and his team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Locked On 220218-F-PO120-0134 Staff Sgt. Madison Bedor and her squadmates, all 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, emerge from a smokescreen while assaulting an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Bedor and her team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0134 220218-F-PO120-0131 Staff Sgt. Madison Bedor and her squad mates, all 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, emerge from a smokescreen while assaulting an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Feb. 18, 2022. Bedor and her team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0131 220218-F-PO120-0141 Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, searches an opposing force member for intel while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Taylor and his team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0141 Ready to go, through smoke and snow Staff Sgt. John Taylor and Staff Sgt. David Greenwood, 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, search an opposing force member for intel while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. The Defenders and their team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Ready to go, through smoke and snow Fully Engaged Defender Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, searches for opposing force members while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Taylor and his team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Fully Engaged Defender Ready to go, through smoke and snow Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, searches an opposing force member for intel while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Taylor and his team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Ready to go, through smoke and snow Ready to go, through smoke and snow Staff Sgt. Madison Bedor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, searches for opposing force members while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Bedor and her team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Ready to go, through smoke and snow Area Security Operations Tech. Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, holds a defensive posture while his squad mates search opposing force members for intel during an assault exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Area Security Operations 220218-F-PO120-0201 Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, searches for opposing force members while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Taylor and his team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0201 Ready to go, through smoke and snow Defenders assigned to the 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students sweep an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. The Defenders recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Ready to go, through smoke and snow 220218-F-UU934-0467 Defenders with the 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students sweep an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. The Defenders recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0467 Ready to go, through smoke and snow Staff Sgt. Madison Bedor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, searches an opposing force member for intel while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Bedor and her team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Ready to go, through smoke and snow 220218-F-PO120-0181 Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, searches for opposing force members while assaulting their position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Taylor and his team members recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. IDLC is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0181 Time to Move Out Staff Sgt. David Greenwood, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, signals his squadmates to move out after assaulting an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. Greenwood and his team recovered simulated critical components and weapons during the assault. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Time to Move Out Area Security Operations Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, Senior Airman Calvin To and Senior Airman Ricardo Burgos, all 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, charge an enemy position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Area Security Operations 220218-F-UU934-0906 Senior Airman Calvin To, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, emerges from a smokescreen to assault an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0906 220218-F-PO120-0305 Staff Sgt. Noah Villa, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course opposing force student, exchanges blank fire with an assaulting force during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0305 220218-F-PO120-0332 Senior Airman Calvin To and Senior Airman Ricardo Burgos, 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, assault an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0332 220218-F-PO120-0338 Senior Airman Ricardo Burgos, 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, advances while firing blank rounds at opposing force members during an exercise assault on their position at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0338 220218-F-PO120-0411 Senior Airman Ronald Gagne, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, holds a defensive position while his fellow Defenders secure an opposing force-controlled area during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Feb. 18, 2022. Staff Sgt. Harmony Rush, an IDLC student in the role of an opposing force lays in the foreground simulating a casualty. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0411 220218-F-PO120-0429 Senior Airman Ronald Gagne, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, holds a defensive position while his fellow Defenders secure an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0429 220218-F-PO120-0376 Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, waves forward his squadmates while assaulting an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0376 220218-F-PO120-0372 Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, Senior Airman Calvin To and Senior Airman Ricardo Burgos, all 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, advance through a smoke screen during an assault on an opposing force position exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.(U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0372 220218-F-PO120-0362 Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, Senior Airman Calvin To and Senior Airman Ricardo Burgos, all 926th Security Forces Squadron Defenders and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students, advance through a smoke screen during an exercise assault on an opposing force position at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0362 220218-F-PO120-0373 Tech. Sgt. Roberto Quintana-Chavez, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, advances while squadmates Senior Airman Calvin To and Senior Airman Ricardo Burgos round a building corner during an assault on an opposing force position exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0373 220218-F-PO120-0399 The snow is painted with the discharge from spent smoke canisters during an Integrated Defense Leadership Course exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0399 220218-F-PO120-0404 Defenders with the 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course students hold defensive positions while their fellow Defenders secure an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0404 220218-F-PO120-0394 Tech. Sgt. Darrall Williams, a Defender with the 926th Security Forces Squadron and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, listens to a radio call while his fellow Defenders secure an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eric M. White) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-PO120-0394 Cold-Weather Defender Staff Sgt. Madison Bedor, a 926th Security Forces Squadron Defender and Integrated Defense Leadership Course student, moves through the woods with her squad following an assault on an opposing force position during an exercise at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2022. IDLC is an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. It is based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. The 926th SFS is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | Cold-Weather Defender 220218-F-UU934-0971 Staff Sgt. Sydney Whiteis, a Defender with the 934th Security Forces Squadron, based at Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, listens to her radio while her Integrated Defense Leadership Course students assault an opposing force position at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Feb. 18, 2022. Whiteis served as a cadre member during the IDLC, an intense, two-week, hands-on learning experience designed to help Reserve Defenders achieve and maintain combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | images | 220218-F-UU934-0971 Combat environments are unpredictable. Placing IDLC students in a training environment that is equally unpredictable helps prepare them to perform their function in real-world operations, but it also poses unique challenges to the students and IDLC Cadre who facilitate the course.Master Sgt. John Hall is a veteran member of YARS’ own 910th Security Forces Squadron and serves as the IDLC course chief.“Without a doubt, the most challenging part of this iteration was the weather,” said Hall. “They didn’t enjoy CJAG very much, and it was the first winter weather some of them ever experienced, but we accomplished the training we set out to get done.”Senior Airman Karl Knieriem, one of the 926th SFS Defenders who attended the course, has had similar experiences as a prior service member who served in the U.S. Army. He appreciated the chance to get some updated training with his fellow Defenders.“Being a long-time Army soldier, coming back in the Ohio environment, looking at those tactics again, there were a lot of new updates, there were a lot of bases that were congruent and things that are still pretty relevant,” said Knieriem.Despite his prior experiences, Knieriem agrees with Hall on the weather being the biggest challenge.“In terms of Ohio itself, for this particular training, it was probably the most brutal conditions you can think of in North America,” said Knieriem. “And to marry up that training, the additions to it, the aggressiveness of it and the pace of it, for me personally, that’s what training is supposed to be about. The worst day you ever have in the field should be when you’re in training, not when you’re actually in the field.”Nellis Air Force Base is located in a mostly desert environment, dry with hot temperatures. It’s very different from February in Northeast Ohio, and not often experienced by Knieriem’s fellow Defenders with the 926th SFS.“To come into that environment and face what the cold is and what it can actually do and how that can affect your performance, shooting, aiming, and how that can affect your mentality,” said Knieriem. “At first it was a challenge for them. I think they walked away with a whole new idea of what are the traits we’re looking at and how it differs.”Some of the training activities were new to many of the IDLC students. Others were things they’ve done countless times before—like firing their weapons—but with an added layer of complexity from the cold. Winter gloves, critical to operating in near-zero degree temperatures, affect aiming, shooting and handling rifles. It’s challenging, but that’s the value of the training, says Knieriem.“That itself is a force multiplier,” he said, referring to the frigid conditions, “to take similar training and put it in a new environment. With that experience, you have something to fall back on and things you don’t normally think of.”While Knieriem and his fellow Defenders worked through several exercises, like planning and carrying out a static defense plan or scouting and assaulting an enemy-occupied position using intel relayed by headquarters, they had to contend with more than just the cold. Other IDLC students served as opposing force members. The opposing force team worked to undermine the other side, in this case, members of their own unit. But they also follow cadre leadership to make sure the “good guys” have proper objectives and challenges. Both sides get the same caliber of training during the course. Opposing force members learn to think like potential adversaries, gaining experience that can be invaluable in combat environments.When asked if the students adjusted to the weather during the two-week course, Hall’s reply was, “no,” without hesitation. But he emphasized that the purpose of IDLC is not to make students adjust to the weather, but rather to learn to adapt, overcome the challenges and complete mission objectives regardless of the weather or environment.Hall wants his students to be able to operate in any region worldwide. By contrast, the next wave of students is scheduled to take the course in May, when the temperature is usually mild and the most severe potential external factor is rain. The IDLC cadre members are confident that the course will be just as valuable to the students.IDLC doesn’t exist to foster acclimation to extreme climates. It exists to ensure Air Force Reserve Security Forces Defenders are ready to carry out the mission in any climate, whenever the nation calls upon them to do so. As 40 Defenders from Nellis AFB head back to Nevada to warm up and dry out from their time in Northeast Ohio’s February, they carry the weight of new experience that enhances their combat readiness.