JOINT BASE ELEMENDORF-RICHARDSON -- Service members pushed their limits at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, last week as they competed for a spot on the installation’s Quick Response Force.
Designed to determine and evaluate potential team members, the grueling QRF selection process tests candidates’ endurance, tactical and communication proficiency, and mental resilience.
The first-ever tryouts, held March 24, challenged participants with intense physical tasks, including a morning physical training test, a strength assessment, buddy drags, and scenario-based exercises. Candidates were pushed to their limits, testing not only their physical endurance but also their ability to perform under pressure in high-stakes situations.
“The QRF primarily focuses on close-quarters combat, with a large emphasis on building clearing,” said U.S Air Force Staff Sgt. Kevin Santos, a member of the QRF team on JBER. “We train to be ready for combat anywhere.”
The process of becoming a QRF team member begins long before tryouts, according to Senior Airman Trace Langston, a 673d Security Forces QRF cadre member. He said some team members train for a year in preparation for the selection process. Standard monthly training consists of simulated real-world exercises, including room clearing, communication drills, and outdoor close-combat scenarios, as well as regular physical training.
Candidates start their tryout day with a physical evaluation, including a 1.5-mile run, pushups, and sit-ups. They then face a series of demanding tasks, such as timed tactical equipment preparation, donning gear under pressure, and additional physical tests — all while under verbal stress from the cadre overseeing the course.
“The purpose of the team is to react and respond to emergency scenarios on base — active shooters, hostage rescues --we cover all of that,” Langston said. “So, when we push and evaluate these candidates, we create intensity because every real-world scenario they might face will be high stress.”
After the physical trials, candidates are pushed to their limits once again physically before entering a shoot house, where they run through mock hostage and close quarters combat situations. Equipped with M4 rifles firing paint rounds, they must clear the structure while fatigued from earlier exercises.
“It's intense; my body capacity, mental capacity, my strengths, my weaknesses, all of them have been challenged,” said Airman 1st Class Dakoda Kempthorne, a 673d Security Forces defender and a candidate for the QRF team. “When I saw this opportunity, I had to jump on it, and it's been incredibly rewarding.”
The final phase of selection includes an evaluation of mental resilience. Airmen undergo questioning on hypothetical situations and moral decision-making to assess their fortitude and ability to remain composed under pressure.
JBER Security Forces Airmen interested in trying out for the Quick Response Force should contact their commander for more information.