HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah —

Following a brief pause for a restructure to better meet the 75th Air Base Wing’s priorities, Hill Air Force Base’s Ready Airmen Training program has returned to the base.

The week-long training now sees a stronger emphasis on tactile and kinesthetic elements, with increased individual hands-on time with each learning objective. The training culminates into a major field training exercise at the Base Operations Readiness Training Area that serves to test participants on the things they learn throughout the week.

“We have to train our Airmen to be more lethal and ready,” said Master Sgt. Colby Hedgepath, senior enlisted leader with the 75th Healthcare Operations Squadron. “The expected outcome is that Airmen are equipped with a familiarization through hands-on learning and exercise of how to perform basic warrior-Airman wartime operations.”

Ready Airman Training will prepare Airmen to develop and demonstrate the mindset required to support the Air Force Force Generation, or AFFORGEN, deployment model, which uses a four phase, 24-month cycle to create forces that train and deploy together.

Leadership will offer one course per month through the end of 2025, with the ability to add additional courses if there is a demand. All active-duty Airmen assigned to Hill will attend Ready Airmen Training, with priority given to Airmen who are in their certify phase of the AFFORGEN cycle.

Hedgepath said they were able to take feedback from both Airmen and leaders to make the course less about computer-based learning, focusing more on rigorous hands-on learning that provides realistic challenges and meets higher level requirements. He said nearly every facet of the program was reviewed and improved with this feedback in mind.

“Our great nation demands we train our Airmen at the speed and scale of what we know the wartime mission will demand,” Hedgepath said. “When we are asked, our folks will be able to execute.”

Ready Airmen Training areas include: law of war; survival, evasion, resistance and escape; small arms; integrated defense; active threat response; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training; explosive ordnance hazard; tactical combat casualty care all service members course; comprehensive airman fitness; cross cultural communications; information environment awareness; and basic communications.