Dover AFB TALN reimagined Published April 5, 2022 By Airman 1st Class Cydney Lee 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. – Dover Air Force Base’s Tactics and Leadership Nexus was recently updated to include more hands-on training, as well fulfill more pre-deployment training requirements for Team Dover Airmen. TALN is a two-day, scenario-based course used to increase readiness and hone tactical and leadership skills. The course, originally set up in August 2020, now includes shoot-move-communicate, unexploded ordnance, land navigation and active shooter drills to enhance readiness and training. “TALN increases readiness because it gives you the basics of everything you're going to need when you deploy,” said Tech. Sgt. Monique Young, 436th Security Forces Squadron TALN course chief. “The courses you go through, you get the basics of all of them. It helps you form that foundation.” The updated course, coined ‘TALN 2.0’, is in direct response to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Jr’s ‘Accelerate Change or Lose’ strategic approach. “When [ACoL] came out, we asked, ‘Well, how do we create multi-capable airman?’ ‘How is it our base can create a course for multi-capable airmen?’ And then Talon 2.0 was born,” said Young. The training also incorporates basic elements from several different Air Force specialty codes, including security forces, explosive ordnance disposal and medical specialties in an effort to build upon the foundation of basic Airmanship. “[TALN] teaches Airmen how to be Airmen again,” said Young. “We should all know how to fire a weapon correctly. We should all know what the law of war is. We’re rebuilding [those skills] out at TALN.” During a recent ‘Eagle Reach’ town hall live stream, Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Bayes, 436th Airlift Wing command chief, stressed the importance of establishing confident, prepared Airmen. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that Airmen of Dover Air Force Base have all the training and equipment they need so that when they get called on tomorrow, they can go do their job. TALN is a big part of that,” said Bayes. TALN 2.0 is continuously adapting, utilizing feedback received from Airmen who complete the course. Future plans will incorporate a third day of training, including additional weapons familiarization.