The Air Force recently unveiled the Maltz Special Warfare Aquatic Training Center, a state-of-the-art, $60 million facility spanning 76,000 square feet, located at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The center is designed as a premier training hub for Air Force Special Warfare candidates, including those aspiring to join Pararescue, Combat Control, Tactical Air Control Party (TACP), and Special Reconnaissance fields.
This new complex boasts 12-foot-deep Olympic-sized pools, alongside medical and therapy facilities, setting a new standard for aquatic training within the Air Force. The center is dedicated to Master Sergeant Mike Maltz, a legendary Pararescueman who died in a tragic accident in Afghanistan in 2003. Maltz was renowned for his commitment to the Pararescue community and had initially submitted his retirement paperwork before withdrawing it to lead a final deployment.
The center’s establishment highlights the rigorous training regimen that Special Warfare candidates undergo, particularly in “water confidence” or “water con” drills. These exercises, designed to test candidates’ endurance and mental fortitude, include swimming underwater laps without surfacing, tying knots underwater, and undergoing “drown-proofing” drills with their hands and ankles tied.
The naming of the facility after Maltz is seen as a fitting tribute to a figure who symbolized the essence of the Pararescue role to many in the Air Force. His portrait graced a recruiting brochure widely used in the 1990s, inspiring a generation of PJs. Maltz was also remembered for his intense yet effective training methods and his remarkable rescue missions, including a high-altitude rescue on Denali and his contributions as a premier freefall jumpmaster.
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