Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina —
The U.S. Air Force’s 372nd Training Squadron hosted Bahraini Air Force students from Jan. 22 to March 15, 2024, to expand their knowledge and technical experience with the new generation F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The RBAF visited Shaw to modernize their skill sets, learn U.S. Air Force operational practices from experienced F-16 technicians, and bring that knowledge back to their home forces to increase operational efficiencies, strengthen global defense and enhance the bilateral partnership.
“We started building the classes and developing the course materials early last year. [20th Maintenance Group] “The idea was to give the Bahraini students an understanding of day-to-day maintenance operations in the U.S. Air Force,” said U.S. Air Force Sgt. William Cheek, senior enlisted leader with the 372nd TRS, Detachment 2. “Every country does maintenance differently, so they wanted to learn not only how we do it on the training grounds, but also how we operate on the airfield.” [The collaborative training effort demonstrated] Commitment to our allies and increased interoperability.”
The training unit hosted 32 Bahraini students across seven career fields and conducted 15 classes, with some students attending multiple sessions. The courses introduced concepts and techniques to expand the operational capabilities of RBAF maintainers.
“We came here to learn the latest working methods on a new generation of aircraft,” said Warrant Officer Ahmed Almarood, Air Communications and Navigation Supervisor for the Royal Bahrain Air Force. “For most of our team, this is their first time experiencing certain aspects of maintenance, such as our weapons members entering the cockpit and operating systems they don’t normally see. We’d like to thank the team in charge of training at 372nd TRS Detachment 2 for making our visit possible, demystifying the training and helping us with everything we needed.”
The 372nd TRS Detachment 2 is a multi-faceted training unit dedicated to developing the readiness of the 20th Fighter Wing maintenance personnel. Instructors and leaders from the 372nd TRS worked with various units within the 20th Maintenance Group to develop an effective curriculum to simultaneously educate host students and RBAF Airmen.
“We benefited from the experience as partners because we learned how to do business in their country,” said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Joshua Raigoza Esquivel, 77th Generation Fighter Squadron inspection section team member.[When we were problem solving] We worked together to find answers and results to get the job done safely and efficiently.”
U.S. Air Force students learned alongside RBAF Airmen in a joint training environment, establishing team cohesion and exchanging technical and cultural experiences.
“As Airmen, our core values are very similar to theirs and vice versa,” said Raigoza-Esquivel. “They always demonstrated integrity, service before self, and excellence. We quickly became a team and I couldn’t be happier with the friendships we made. I look forward to taking classes with the international students in the future to learn more about each other and establish a team spirit with other military forces.”
The 372nd Training Wing worked closely with the 20th Wing to design an immersive training environment for RBAF students that demonstrates routine U.S. Air Force maintenance tasks. The training unit looks forward to future collaborations with allies to strengthen international partnerships and enhance global security.
