San Francisco recently served as a training ground for a unique military exercise that transformed the city into a mock battleground for three days.
The US Air Force members engaged in urban evasion training, honing their skills to survive behind enemy lines by evading capture in a real-world scenario.
More than 150 personnel participated in the exercise known as “Exercise Sourdough.”
During the exercise, airmen navigated the city streets covertly with limited resources while being pursued by opposing forces made up of various military and law enforcement agencies.
Eleven teams with a total of 40 airmen were inserted into downtown San Francisco and instructed to evade enemy forces for 72 hours.
Lt. Col. Mary Lea Bordelon, the squadron commander, emphasized the importance of improving airmen’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) skills in a realistic and high-stress urban environment.
The training scenario mirrored situations where soldiers must evade capture in urban settings until extraction plans are devised.
Instructions provided to airmen during the exercise simulated real-life communications for evading capture.
At the conclusion of the exercise, all Air Force teams were successfully extracted and taken back to Travis Air Force Base.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Campbell highlighted the significant training value of the exercise within the Department of War framework.
