| United States Air Force Security Forces | |
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.png){kind=icon} Security Forces Badge |
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| Active | |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Part of | Department of Defense United States Department of the Air Force |
| Motto | "Defensor Fortis" (Defenders of the Force) |
| Insignia | |
| Beret Flash |  |
United States Air Force Security Forces (AFSC Enlisted: 3P0X1, formerly 811X0 Security Specialist; 812XX Law Enforcement Specialist, later 3P0X2; and 811X2A K-9 Specialist, later 3P0X2A, Officer: 31PX), formerly named Air Police (1948), then Security Police (August 1967) are the military police and the air base ground defense forces of the United States Air Force. Airmen in this field go through 13 weeks of initial technical training at Lackland Air Force Base with the 343rd Training Squadron, known as the Security Forces Academy.
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Specialties
TASS Operators consist of Security Forces personnel who complete a course on operation and maintenance of thermal imagery, sensors, and their components. Operators set up and provide surveillance to built-up installations as well as mobile base camps. Operators use microwave, thermal, seismic, and 'trip-wire' sensors. Operators can also use a variety of camera systems such as CCTV systems, or the high tech military version, called the Wide-Area Infrared Surveillance Thermal Imager or WISTI. WISTI's can detect enemy movement by tracking body heat, or other heat resonances; or can be automatically routed to another sensor that goes off, in which the WISTI will automatically focus in and track the programmed sensor.
The Air Force maintains Emergency Services Teams (EST) which are similar to SWAT teams. Nuclear mission bases have have Tactical Response Force and Convoy Response Force (TRF/CRF) Units. These units are trained just like all other EST but go through training at Malmstrom for nuclear specific tasks. TRF/CRF units are on call with many other security forces units at nuclear bases and provide rapid response to emergency situations. Security Forces also deploy Close Precision Engagement (CPE) teams, also known as counter-snipers.
Training
Additional training may be available to Security Forces such as the Close Precision Engagement Course (CPEC) at Camp Robinson. Security Forces members may also go through technical schools to help them as their careers develop. Some of these schools consist of, but are not limited to: Emergency Services Team (E.S.T.), Security Forces Dispatch Communications, Tactical Automated Sensor Systems Operator (TASS), Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM), Military Police Investigator Course (MPI), or Military Working Dog Handler.
Some Security Forces members attend the Army's Air Assault School, Airborne school and Ranger School. Security Forces members can also go through advanced training in investigations or advanced driving school training by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).
Air Force Specialty Code 3P0X1B (CATM) are personnel who train base personnel in the use of small arms weaponry, oversee and maintain and repair all small arms in the Air Force inventory. A second career direction Security Forces have is the Military Working Dog (MWD) program Air Force Specialty Code 3P0X1A. Military Working Dog teams deploy explosive detection and narcotics detection dogs throughout the base. Most Dog Handlers perform law enforcement duties at their duty station, and have opportunities to deploy, go Temporary Duty (TDY) for various reasons, including protection of the President of the United States.
EST members undergo special tactics training (Special Reaction Team Course, Phase 1 and 2) at the Advanced Law Enforcement Training Division (ALETD) located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. SRT Phase I is a SWAT entry-team course and Phase II covers sniper emplacement, marksmanship, and tactics. ALETD is run by the U.S. Army and provides the majority of specialty training for U.S. Army and Marine Corps Military Policemen as well as Air Force Security Forces and some civilian police departments.
Weapons
All Security Forces are required to maintain qualifications on the M-4 Carbine and M-9 pistol. Different weapons skills can be obtained, such as the M-203 Grenade Launcher, the M-249 light machine gun, M-240B general-purpose machine gun, the M-2 50 caliber machine gun, and the MK-19 grenade launcher. In the past Security police personnel could also qualify with the M29 mortar, M67 recoilless rifle, and M72 LAW. Obsolete weapons previously carried by S.P.s include the M-60, Smith & Wesson Model 15, XM148 grenade launcher, and M79 grenade launcher.
The Blue Beret
The roots of the Security Police beret are often traced back to the 1041st Security Police Squadron (Test) and "Operation Safeside" during 1965-67. The mission of the Air Police was changing, and this specially trained Task Force adopted a light blue beret with a Falcon patch as their symbol. It can only be speculated as to whether the idea came from the Army Ranger beret, since the initial cadre of the 1041st SPS received its initial training at the Army Ranger School. The 1041st SPS evolved into the 82nd Combat Security Police Wing, but was deactivated in December 1968, thus bringing an end to the light blue beret with the falcon emblem.
Although the beret was not an authorized uniform item for Security Police work, several local commanders authorized a dark blue beret for their units even though the official Security Police cover remained the white service cap. In the early 70's, Military Working Dog handlers assigned to the 6280th SPS, Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, wore a dark blue beret with no insignia. The other members of the unit wore fatigue caps and the "jungle booney" style hat. Again, the beret was distinguishing a specific group of specialized personnel. Other units adopted a version of the beret to distinguish their elite guards.
When Brigadier General (Major General select) Thomas Sadler was appointed Air Force Chief of Security Police and the two symbol AF/SP office was created in 1975, the Security Police had arrived. The General's task was to bring the Security Police into the mainstream of the Air Force and one of the tools for doing that was recognition of deeds as well as members of a distinctive and highly recognizable career field. The beret was one of the proposed uniform changes that had been being considered. Although there was significant opposition to the beret initially from senior colonels and MAJCOM Chiefs, the troops loved the idea, and that's what it was all about. Several months later the uniform board approved the proposal, and the beret was officially being worn worldwide in 1976.
The dark blue beret of 1976 was worn with the MAJCOM crest of the appropriate major command the unit was assigned to. It continued this way for 20 years until the forming of the Security Forces in early 1997. In March 1997, the 82nd CSPW was reactivated and redesigned the 820th Security Forces Group. It provided worldwide "first in force protection" for Air Force contingencies.[citation needed]
History
The position of Air Provost Marshal came into being in March 1943 at the direction of General Henry H. Arnold, commander of the United States Army Air Forces. When the Air Force became a separate entity in January 1948, its military police became air police. The Air Provost Marshal came under the Air Force Inspector General. The organization title became Director of Security and Law Enforcement in 1960. The term air police became security police in 1967 and then in 1997 was changed to Security Forces.
The security police function left the inspector general umbrella in 1975 and began reporting to the Air Force Chief of Staff. The title of Chief of Security Police then replaced the title Directory. The security police headquarters moved from Washington DC to Kirtland AFB NM in 1978 and became the Air Force Office of Security Police (AFOSP), a separate operating agency, again under the Inspector General. In 1991, as part of an Air Staff reorganization, the Chief of Security Police was again aligned directly under the Air Force Chief of Staff. The Chief of Security Police and the staff needed to work security police policy issues was relocated to The Pentagon, Washington DC.
A little over half of the AF Security police staff remained at Kirtland AFB as a field operating agency, the Air Force Security Police Agency (AFSPA). AFSPA reported directly to the Air Force Chief of Security Police. AFSPA was comprised of four directorates: security; law enforcement and training; resources; and corrections. In January 1997, as a result of the Khobar Towers bombing,an Air Force Chief of Staff directed reorganization of Security Forces designed to improve Air Force force protection capabilities, the Air Force Chief of Security Police was re-designated the Air Force Director of Security Forces, and in October 1997, the Security Police career field became the Security Forces career field. AFSPA was reorganized in November 1997 and relocated to Lackland AFB Texas.
The new organization, designated the Air Force Security Forces Center, consists of three units: Headquarters, the AF Force Protection Battle lab, and the 820th Security Forces Group. The Headquarters Air Force Security Forces Center (HQ AFSFC) is commanded by the duel-hatted Air Force Director of Security Forces. HQ AFSFC acts as an extension of the Pentagon staff, conducting staff studies dealing with a wide range of topics, including nuclear security, antiterrorism/force protection, base defense, police services, combat arms and Security Forces training, equipment management, and military working dogs. The Headquarters consists of three divisions: Force Protection, Operations, and Corrections, with three geographically separated units-Miramar, California; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and Charleston, South Carolina.
The Force Protection Battlelab's commander reports to the HQ AFSFC commander. Force Protection Battlelab's mission is to rapidly identify and prove the worth of innovative Force Protection ideas which improve the ability of the Air Force to execute it's core competencies and joint warfighting. The Battlelab rapidly measures the worth of new ideas and presents them to the Air Force senior leadership for consideration involving changes to the way the Air Force currently organizes, trains, equips, executes, plans and commands.
The 820th Security Forces Group provides a highly-trained, rapidly-deployable "first-in" force protection capability to any operating location in support of the USAF Global Engagement mission. The 820th gives the Air Force a totally dedicated composite unit for force protection, drawing from many disciplines, not just Security Forces. The unit is composed of personnel from Security Forces, Office of Special Investigations, civil engineering, logistics and supply, communications, intelligence, administration, personnel, and medical career fields, providing the capability to assess each threat and act accordingly.[1]
Recent Changes
Brig. Gen. Robert Holmes, director of security forces and force protection, calls these transformations a "refocus" on how his people train and fight.
"We're not in the Cold War anymore; we have to alter our mentality and our practices for today's reality," the general said. "Because of the nature of the threat, our Airmen are fighting the global war on terror on the front lines, and we owe it to them to provide training, equipment and resources to be effective."
Essentially, security forces will focus on preparing for their warfighting mission at forward locations, as well as security at a fixed installation, General Holmes said. As an example, he cited an Air Force task force that operated around Balad Air Base, Iraq, for two months last year. The unit patrolled the local towns and found weapons caches as well as individuals who posed a threat to the base. Security forces must learn counterinsurgency techniques to operate more effectively in joint operations, said Maj. Gen. Norman Seip, assistant deputy chief of staff for air and space operations.
While security forces will focus more on their warfighting competencies, Air Force leaders are reviewing several options for installation protection duties, such as entry control, at home stations. Plans call for more DOD civilians, greater affiliation with Guard and Reserve and better use of technologies, General Holmes said. The changes to the security forces career field will present the opportunity for other Airmen to participate in installation security. While that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will have a rotation checking identification cards at a gate, it does mean more comprehensive training, awareness and capability to respond and participate, he said.
While definitive plans have not been finalized, General Holmes also said one of the transformation goals is bringing security forces back in step with standard Air Force 120-day deployments. Overall, General Holmes said the changes would make security forces more effective and relevant to Air Force needs in the face of the current changing nature of warfare.
"We want to make our Airmen more proficient, and to do that, we need to adapt," General Holmes said. "We're going to change our training, our tactics and our procedures and the Air Force will be better for it" [2].
In November 2007, it was announced that the Air Force was going to triple the number of Security Forces personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan to back-fill Army and Marines Corps mission tasks.[3]
See also
- 732 ESFS/DET-3
- United States Army Military Police Corps
- Royal Air Force Regiment
- Airfield Defence Guards
- Objektschutzregiment der Luftwaffe
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Air Force Security Forces |
- Official Air Force Security Forces website
- Official Air Force Security Forces factsheet
- The Air Force Security Police Association
- Unofficial Air Force Security Police website
- Brief History of the USAF Security Forces
- History of the blue beret
- the Unofficial 81st SPS RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge Site
- Unofficial security history of Westover AFB (SAC) 1955 - 1974
- USAF Security Police/Forces Vietnam Veteran....
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