How specific must I be with the WESS gear?

[Yochanan]

I am doing the Basic GSAR and I have no clue how hard and fast the rules are for gear. What can you afford to not have? What are things that are better to have that aren't in the Ground and Urban Direction Finding Team Tasks?

[arajca]

What is WESS?

As for GTM or UDF gear in general for training, have what is listed in the task guide. Once you are qualified, you can modify your gear list, but if you take something out that's on the task list, be ready to justify its removal.

[Spam]

WESS is the Alabama Wing ES School, a Wing specific academy spread over several weekends. We've sent a few of our members over to it, with generally positive results, as we do with NESA, to prevent... insular and inbred perspectives... at our home unit.

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[JeffDG]

WESS is the Alabama Wing ES School, a Wing specific academy spread over several weekends. We've sent a few of our members over to it, with generally positive results, as we do with NESA, to prevent... insular and inbred perspectives... at our home unit.

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Other wings are adopting similar programs as well.  TNWG is working through Year 1 right now...might help that our current DO is a former ALWG/DOS.

[husker]

WESS is the Alabama Wing ES School, a Wing specific academy spread over several weekends. We've sent a few of our members over to it, with generally positive results, as we do with NESA, to prevent... insular and inbred perspectives... at our home unit.

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I guess "generally positive results" is much better than most alternatives.      We've actually really enjoyed having the GAWG members participate over the past few years. 

WESS is an Alabama Wing sponsored ES Academy, patterned after NESA.   The program was started by myself and the current NHQ/DO as one of the first "test beds" of the (then beta) national ES curriculum (this is our 19th year of the program).  This year, we have 8 different courses (BGSAR, AGSAR, GTL, WAFA, MS, MO/MP, AP and an ICSS type school).  We average around 150 per weekend, pulling in members from most wings in SER.   We are hosted by the 22nd TRSS at Maxwell AFB, and use various facilities in the central Alabama area.

To answer the OP's original question.  Gear was covered at length during the first weekend.  However, if you missed that weekend, you must bring all items listed in the activity announcement (http://wess.alwg.us/systems/file_download.ashx?pg=67&ver=4).

[Spam]

"Generally" in the sense only that even with the best supervision and Opplan, no battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.  I think the only non positives we've ever had with either WESS or NESA have involved the logistics of getting our folks up there and back (over and back three times, in the case of WESS), which is on OUR end, not the activity, right? My apologies if that came across as if I were [darn]ing with faint praise!


I've enjoyed having you visit us in Atlanta, Sir - please do stop in again on any WED night when you're in the area!


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