SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Members of the 52nd Fighter Wing endured a week’s worth of academics, studying, mission planning and simulations, culminating in a presentation of their knowledge and planned mission to leaders of the 52nd FW staff to earn their verification status.
The 480th Fighter Squadron, 52nd Operations Support Squadron, 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron and many other squadrons from throughout the USAFE command took part in this career milestone to solve a controlled tactical problem and validate their ability to conduct combat operations for the first time or upgrade to instructor pilot status.
“We create a tactical problem for those participating in the verification process and ask the questions ‘How would you solve this problem?’ and, ‘How do you, in a controlled environment, prepare to face that threat or task?,” said U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Julio Alvarado, 52nd OSS flight chief. “In the end, we identify not just if the problem was solved or not, but we take a look at things that went well, things that didn’t go well, and the process in which the verification team went about getting the problem solved along with the lessons they learned. Verification is not a pass or fail but more of a test of the process.”
The verification process is mandatory for pilots, but personnel from multiple squadrons at Spangdahlem AB who also help contribute to the mission of the 52nd FW were involved in the process.
“About 13 different squadrons have Airmen participating in the verification process,” said Alvarado. “From any aspect of the job, training, and readiness, the need to think through complex intelligence gaps is always needed, so pulling people from all different career fields only enhances our ability to problem solve. It is not necessary to be verified to do a job but verification enhances how the job gets done.”
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matt Cox, 52nd OSS lead multi-domain intelligence analyst, is going through the process to become verified and explained some of the different aspects of the process and some challenges faced throughout it.
“The language barrier of all of the different organizations presented a huge challenge for myself as well as many others in the verification process,” said Cox. “Getting used to the unique acronyms, system names, and processes of the organizations gave a lot of us a hard time, but in the end we were able to come together and execute effectively.”
A few big takeaways for those going through the process is better knowledge of the wartime special instructions, their contributions to Agile Combat Employment and how to best employ them in conjunction with coalition forces. Verification also provides an opportunity to hear insight from all of the different career field subject matter experts, pilots, and operational level inputs.
“This is a great chance for the entire verification team to learn or rehash their knowledge on intelligence and weapons systems,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Alex Travers, 52nd OSS electronic combat pilot. “Another benefit is being able to explore other capabilities we normally do not see on a day-to-day basis by talking with several organizations and learning from them.”
This iteration of verification is the first time the wing has incorporated ACE into the verification process and it has made an impact on some members going through the process and given them a deeper understanding of why the course exist.
“Having ACE added to the course adds a level of realism to the training exercise,” said Alvarado. “In wartime operations we have to be able to deploy at a moment’s notice to complete the mission. This enables us to mobilize and move throughout the area of responsibility with limited hiccups when the time comes.”
The verification process is one taken very seriously. So much so that the final step in the process is the group must give a brief to the squadron commanders, group commanders, wing commander, and various other members of the wing explaining the problem they were presented and explaining the steps they took to solve the problem as well as their solution.
Once the briefing is finished, the Airmen are then put through a gauntlet of pointed questions requiring in-depth knowledge of a wide range of topics aiding in their ability to conduct a successful mission. Upon completion, the wing commander then gives a figurative thumbs up to all who are verified.
“Our goal is to make sure the wing commander has the confidence in us that he can trust us to help solve tactical problems at a moment’s notice and get the job done correctly,” said Alvarado. “If the commander feels that level of confidence from the most junior of his verification team, then he knows the veterans of that team are doing their job right and he can rely on all of us to help complete mission requirements.”