SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
Unit: Field Training Detachment 15, 372d Training Squadron
Location: Kadena Air Base, Japan
Mission: To provide the Airmen
of the 18th Fighter Wing quality technical training that will assist PACAF in
performing their mission to fight our nation’s wars.
Staff: 15 Active Duty
What We Do:
The instructors within the 372nd
TRS’s Detachment 15 are relentless in their dedication to delivering highly
trained maintainers to the 18th Fighter Wing, the largest combat wing in the
Air Force. Together they provide Kadena
and the Pacific theater with advanced technical training that directly supports
the largest F-15 combat wing, the sole active duty KC-135 fleet in the pacific,
the HH-60 rescue squadron, ACC’s continuous PACAF reconnaissance deployment,
the engine back-shop for A-10 aircraft stationed in Korea, and host PACAF’s
sole Ammo instructor. In addition to
serving the needs of the Air Force, the instructors of Det 15 extend their training
to our sister service aircraft maintenance personnel from the U.S. Marine Corps
and U.S. Army.
The members of Det 15 pride themselves in
giving back to the host unit in any way they can. In their roles as the 18th
Fighter Wing’s maintenance subject matter experts they are continuously sought
out by the wing leadership for assistance in improving the quality of
maintenance. Recently, one of our F-15
instructors, Tech. Sgt. Tamayo, was called upon to assist an Air Force investigation
for a spike in hypoxia/hypercapnia issues. “It’s been a long going issue with the
hypoxia/hypercapnia issues. I’m glad I was
asked to help the host out to get to the root cause of the problem.” The KC-135 instructors created the 18th
Fighter Wing’s first KC-135 Maintenance Improvement team. Together they have implemented 15 technical
data changes that has reduced waste and improved efficiency across the
isochronal/flight-line/aero repair spectrums of their career field.
The instructors at Kadena
are always looking to innovate and improve the way Airmen are trained. Recently Det 15 converted their electronic
Technical Order (eTO) program from Toughbooks to iPads which topped out at $18K.
However, this action saved $82K in maintenance
costs. This transition enabled the det to
support 46 students and 14 instructors with individual eTOs and increased
support for inbound/outbound Mobile Training Teams (MTTs) by providing MTT
instructors with eTOs preloaded with instructional guidance/teaching materials.
Tech. Sgt. Evangelista, tech order disto
officer, said “With the new iPads, the program, as a whole has been
easier to manage and allows us to spread our resources with minimal impact.” Because of their success in this innovation,
the 372nd TRS has adopted this model for the future with Kadena leading the way!
The members of Det 15 are not one-dimensional by any
means as they founded the first Air Force Association chapter in Japan and were
able to award over $5,000 in scholarships, created an annual aircraft static
display in celebration of the month of the military child, and established the
first CyberPatriot league on island. All
the while garnering 6 national awards including the 2015 Arthur Storz Chapter
of the Year! Master Sgt. Reeds, detachment
chief, said, “I’m amazed by what these guys do day in and day out. They all seem to have a good balance between
community involvement and getting the mission accomplished.”
Det 15 uses the host units’ fully-mission-capable
aircraft for training but also utilize a Ground Instructional Training Aircraft
(GITA) which recoups the 18 FW over 3,000 flying hours annually. The detachment also employs a
fully-operational flight control trainer, weapons system trainer, and engine
trainer to maximize real-time, hands-on experience. The Kadena detachment produces approximately
700 graduates annually.