MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala., Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force Officer Training School recently added a new close-combat course into its curriculum to address possible challenges in military theaters.
Officials say the move to implement what the Air Force is calling the Combatives Program Module is an effort to realistically develop the Air Force's training for possible challenges during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan among other combat zones. The move is also to offer support for Army, Navy and Marine counterparts, the Air Force reported.
The close-combat training includes the basics of self-defense including various choke holds and employing leverage and position techniques for an advantage.
"It instills the warrior ethos in the trainees, it builds their confidence and it gives them the basic skills they need should they find themselves in a situation of unarmed or hand-to-hand combat," Lt. Col. Hans Palaoro, commander of the 24th Training Squadron, said in a statement.
While the course is currently limited in size and depth, officials hope to implement the hand-to-hand combat techniques with basic training in a larger initiative to help soldiers survive a compromised situation.
"We want the trainees to look at this course as more than training," Staff Sgt. Jeremy Ulibarri said. "We want them to look at it as a way of life."
