91st Security Forces Group Defender Challenge keeps Airmen sharp

Senior Airman Roberto Cueto, 91st Missile Security Operations Squadron defender, sprints while carrying two ammo cans during the physical endurance portion of 91st Security Forces Group Defender Challenge at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Sept. 23, 2025. The intent for the challenge was to put defenders through a stressful environment where they could push themselves while testing their job knowledge. U.S. Air Force photo I Senior Airman Kendra A. Ransum

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — The 91st Security Forces Group (91SFG) ran a four-day defender challenge Sept. 23–24 and Sept. 29–30, putting Airmen from its four squadrons through weapons, field and endurance events to sharpen skills outside of formal inspection cycles.


Two teams from each squadron—four competitors and one alternate per team—represented the 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron (891MSFS), 91st Missile Security Operations Squadron (91MSOS), 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron (91MSFS) and 791st Missile Security Forces Squadron.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Simmons and Airman 1st Class Blake Gregory, both 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron defenders, transport a manikin during the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) portion of 91st Security Forces Group Defender Challenge at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Sept. 22, 2025. Alongside TCCC, defender Airmen were challenged on M240B machine gun disassembly and reassembly, apprehension and search procedures, pushing a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, PRC-152 radio calibration, a knowledge test and A-Circuit unlocking for the dismounted procedures event. U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Kendra A. Ransum


The competition opened with an M4 carbine firing event that paired stress with precision. Teams ran three laps around the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance facility in full gear, performed a one-minute duck walk around a truck while memorizing the colored shapes plastered around the vehicle, then fired 10 rounds at targets according to what they had memorized.


“The purpose of the firing portion is to challenge them physically and mentally under stressful situations,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ryan Duran, 91MSOS Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of operations.


The second event of the challenge was dismounted operations. Mounted operations are when defenders are aboard a vehicle, while dismounted operations are procedures that defenders can do on foot in the event mounted operations are ill-advised or impossible.


Teams cycled through seven job-focused stations for the dismounted operations portion: M240B machine gun disassembly and reassembly, Tactical Combat Casualty Care, apprehension and search procedures, pushing a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, PRC-152 radio calibration, a knowledge test and A-Circuit unlocking.


The third and final event was the physical endurance competition at the base’s track. Each team ran a quarter-mile lap in kit, then loaded a manikin onto a litter for a second lap, then each member shuttled ammo cans downfield, rapidly broke down and reassembled an M4 carbine then returned with the cans before the next member repeated the sequence.

(L-R) U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Simmons, Airman 1st Class Anthony Turek, U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Dane Reid and Airman 1st Class Blake Gregory, a four-man team representing the 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron (891MSFS), utilize PRC-152 handheld radios during the dismounted operations portion of 91st Security Forces Group Defender Challenge at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Sept. 22, 2025. For the challenge, the 891MSFS, 91st Missile Security Operations Squadron, 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron and 791st Missile Security Forces Squadron each had two four-man teams to represent their unit, with an alternate to substitute one of the members at any time.


“When we’re not in an inspection, it’s great to get a chance to come out here, train, practice and stay sharp,” said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Curtis Covington, 91SFG executive officer. “There’s always competition between all four of the squadrons within the SFG, so we thought it would be really good to keep ourselves sharp, grounded and have some fun by making a challenge out of it.”


The challenge’s rules required each team to include at least one junior Airman, a way for younger defenders to get meaningful reps in a high-pressure setting.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Simmons, 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron defender, fires an M4 carbine during the 91st Security Forces Group Defender Challenge at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Sept. 22, 2025. The group-wide challenge consisted of three large events: range firing, dismounted operations and a physical endurance challenge.


“The commander’s intent for this is to put our defenders through a stressful environment where they can push themselves while testing their job knowledge,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brandon Trinidad, 91SFG chief of weapons and tactics. “It’ll also inherently prep them for other defender challenges at higher echelons.”


The teams were given only a broad outline in advance, such being informed that there would be a weapons disassembly portion, but not which weapon they would be working on. That forced teams to practice across systems and close knowledge gaps before game day.


“I think there are a lot of people that I work with who provide the shoulder to lean on in situations where I don’t have all the knowledge that other people have,” said Airman 1st Class Anthony Turek, an 891st MSFS defender. “I think today is a great example of that. There are certain people on my team who have been in longer than I have, or have been to other locations. I think collectively, we can get the job done.”

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