US Guard Members use Innovative Ways to Train During COVID-19

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, many U.S. National Guard units throughout the country have turned to online and virtual training methods to maintain readiness while meeting social distancing protocols.

“Right now, our priority remains protecting the force andthe family [and] making sure our team’s health and safety is a priority,” saidAir Force Col. David Schevchik, commander of the Vermont Air National Guard’s158th Fighter Wing, adding that online training is an innovative approach toensure required training continues.

“We also have to contribute to making sure that we continueto support our state mission and the community and continue the federal missionthat we have been entrusted with,” Schevchik said.

Much of that online training has been completed by Guardmembers at home instead of scheduled in-person training at their units, saidCol. Steven Fairbourn, head of the Utah Army National Guard’s plans andoperations directorate. He said the online training is geared for individuals,rather than collective or unit-based tasks.

“A unit’s readiness begins with individual training andprogressively builds with various levels,” he said. “While collective trainingevents are not tenable during the COVID-19 crisis, we can complete a multitudeof individual training, including areas like operations security,anti-terrorism, information security, code of conduct, risk management andmore.”

For other Guard members, online training is focused on theirspecific job.

“As an example, [our] civil engineering squadron had manyrefresher and safety videos for their airmen in HVAC [heating, ventilation andair conditioning], heavy equipment and fire prevention,” said Senior MasterSgt. Joseph Pearison, with the Indiana Air National Guard’s 181st IntelligenceWing.

For some Guard members, virtual training isn’t possible,including a Utah Army Guard aviation unit preparing for deployment.

“As they prepare to deploy with their Apache helicopters, itis not feasible for them to accomplish the required training and certificationsremotely,” said Fairbourn. “Thus, in mission-essential circumstances such asthis, soldiers [will] conduct collective training [while] employing allappropriate social-distancing etiquette where possible.”

For those taking part in online drills, accessibility iskey, said Pearison.

“We used a platform that our airmen are familiar with,” hesaid, adding additional steps were taken to ensure airmen could access thatplatform from a variety of locations and devices.

Some Guard members, however, may feel the virtual trainingis a bit different from training together as a unit.

“The feel of virtual training will vary from what all of ourmembers have grown accustomed to and enjoy,” said Fairbourn.

But, said Chief Master Sgt. Darin Mauzy, the command chiefmaster sergeant of the 158th FW, the online training model may feel different,but it’s another way to ensure high readiness levels.

“We haven’t done something quite like this before, but we arecertainly postured for it in a world where online learning takes place,” hesaid.

For Air Force Capt. Josh Rohrer, commander of the MissouriAir National Guard’s 139th Maintenance Flight, it’s all about innovation.

“Our members have been coming up with innovative ways totrain,” he said. “We’ve been letting our members run with it.”

More than 29,400 Guard members in 50 states, threeterritories and the District of Columbia are on duty as part of COVID-19response efforts.