137 SOW graduates first special operations combat systems officer

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kasey Phipps
  • 137th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
WILL ROGERS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Okla. --  An Airman of the 137th Special Operations Wing became the unit's first organically-grown MC-12W combat systems officer.

Second Lt. Brent Webb graduated, Oct. 14, 2016, from the combat systems officer school at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, making him the first since the 137 SOW joined the Air Force Special Operations Command.

"I don't really know what to think about being the first," Webb said. "I'm just glad I got the job, finished the school, and now I'm back here at WRANGB to train with the other guys."

Though the 137 SOW has MC-12 pilots and officers who transferred from Beale Air Force Base in California along with the aircraft, Webb will be the first from the air refueling wing-turned-special operation wing to serve as a MC-12 CSO.

"The mission itself is just different, coming from refueling under the Air Mobility Command and going to the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission of the Air Force Special Operations Command," Webb said. "I have a background in aviation, so that helps out."

A native of Weatherford, Oklahoma, Webb began his aviation career in the Oklahoma Air National Guard in 2001 as a loadmaster on the C-130 Hercules, then transitioned to become a boom operator on the KC-135 Stratotanker.

Webb's wife and son are happy to be back in Oklahoma after going to Florida with him for the CSO training school, Webb said, but have some apprehension for his upcoming missions.

"We will be in more remote locations for deployments than what we're used to with the KC-135s and for longer periods of time," Webb said. "My wife is a little nervous about that, but we'll be okay."

Though Webb has not begun flying missions with the Airmen in his unit here, he has been through more than a year of training so far, including officer training school, initial qualification training, and mission qualification training.

In initial qualification training, students are taught and tested on general intelligence knowledge and tasks, while mission qualification training educates students on their roles within their units' specific missions.

"A lot of the school was navigation, which helps to transition from being a boom operator to being up front and listening to all of the radios calls," Webb said. "There were also a lot of academics, and we were on the flight line for about 4 months of it."

Now back in Oklahoma, Webb must maintain his training with the other Airmen in his unit to become fully qualified in his position as a MC-12 CSO.

"I'll be running the sensors and working the radios on the MC-12 to communicate with ground forces by radio," Webb said.

Though Webb doesn't know what to expect looking forward, he said he is excited for the new opportunity.

"I think I'll really enjoy it," he said. "A lot of what we learned was interesting to me and I get to stay in the guard unit here and still have this job."