Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Guardsmen sharpen drone skills

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - National Guardsmen from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are boosting their drone skills through the inaugural unmanned aircraft system (UAS) military occupational specialty transition course.

The course, which began Oct. 19 and lasts seven weeks, combines two military occupational specialties, UAS maintainer (15E) and UAS operator (15W), into a new military occupational specialty: tactical unmanned aircraft system specialist (15X).

"'Whiskeys' were UAS operators and 'Echoes' were UAS maintainers and 'X-ray,' you do all of it," said Sgt. 1st Class Brent Wehr, course manager, using the phonetic military alphabet words for W, E and X.

The course is being conducted at the UAS Training and Innovation Facility, which underwent numerous upgrades to host it. The Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site is providing oversight because the UAS Training and Innovation Facility is not a schoolhouse.

Pennsylvania is one of two states, along with Mississippi, chosen to host the course for National Guard Soldiers. It is open to National Guard Soldiers from all 54 states and territories.

The first class has 12 students - eight from the Wisconsin National Guard and four from the Pennsylvania National Guard.

During the first two weeks of the course, the students are separated by military occupational specialty, with 15Es learning 15W tasks and vice versa.

"Basically, 'Echoes' will learn stuff like air space, aviation weather, gunnery stuff, and 'Whiskeys' will learn electronics, soldering, maintenance, manuals and things like that," Wehr said.

After the first two weeks, the students will be back together, and they'll start learning what a 15X is, Wehr said.

"You're an operator, you're a maintainer, you're a trainer, you're a fabricator," Wehr said. "For those two weeks, they'll learn how to use CAD [computer-aided design] programs, how to do 3D printing, survival of UAS missions, UAS capabilities."

After that, they'll have three weeks of tactical flight training and attack lanes.

"We want to teach them how to properly employ the UAS, not just here but their UAS at home, how to properly plan a mission, how to tactically maneuver through terrain, how to not just fly a UAS, but fly tactically and tactfully," Wehr said.

The course will conclude with a culminating exercise.

The first week of the course went smoothly, Wehr said.

"The students seem to enjoy it," Wehr said. "The fun part comes when you go out to the lanes. It's going to be the first time for some of them doing the tactical stuff."

Spc. Andrew Hearsey of M Company, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, is a student in the class. Hearsey previously served as a UAS maintainer (15E).

"I think it's a great class," Hearsey said. "There's a lot of engaging, hands-on exercises, and the instruction is good."

Hearsey said he was familiar with some of the course material so far, but it also covered topics he was unfamiliar with.

Given the proliferation of drones in warfare, Hearsey said the course is important.

"It's going to really be shaping the reconnaissance aspects and the front lines of the battlefield in the future," Hearsey said.

Being part of the first class is exciting, Hearsey said.

"It's neat to be part of this big change," Hearsey said. "Nobody else will get this opportunity because there's never going to be another first class."

The course has five instructors, all from the Pennsylvania National Guard, and five more Soldiers are training to become instructors. All instructors must complete a seven-week course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, plus a two-week online course.

Plans call for five or six classes a year and, eventually, 24 to 30 students per class, Wehr said.