JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Thirteen Royal Saudi Air Force officers received certificates from the Georgia Institute of Technology for completing Basic and Introductory Electronic Warfare training Jan. 12 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.
The RSAF officers are sponsored by Air Education and Training Command's U.S. Air Force Security Assistance Training Squadron, which oversees training for almost 14,000 students across 157 countries. The Air Education and Training Command is the executive agent for all Air Force sponsored international training and education.
“The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding security relationship and share a common interest in preserving stability and security in the Gulf region,” said Vincent Carr, Atkinson Aeronautics & Technology program manager. “We continue to foster closer cultural, educational, and institutional ties … fostering ties with foreign military partners like the RSAF will only serve to improve interoperability, understanding and cooperation between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in any future operations.”
The training displays how the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense conduct security operations in cooperation with partners and aligns with the RSAF's desire to increase their electronic warfare capabilities, explained Jeff Johnson, a program manager with AFSAT’s division responsible for security cooperation activities with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Officers attending the program will receive 31 courses in total, which are divided into four phases and consist of various topics across electronic warfare. Courses include radar basics, applications of EW principles, advanced systems engineering, mission data file generation, evaluation, information, and cyber security training courses.
Johnson also said that EW affects all military domains: land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace. This training will prepare the students to operate as an autonomous team that can provide efficient and effective EW reprogramming capabilities for the RSAF.
The student selection process for the course was internal to the RSAF, but students were required to achieve a minimum score of 85 on the English Comprehension Level test, a 2/2 on their English Oral Proficiency Interview, and have an undergraduate degree in engineering or computer science.
“Ensuring our partners have the tools necessary to protect their national security interest is paramount in this ever-evolving threat landscape,” Johnson said.