Questions About Air Force Security Forces (joining, FBI, intelligence, housing)

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by Almeida93

Yeah i know that

I am saying that because everywhere in the internet, people are saying its a bad job and looked down upon

You can find whatever you want to hear on the internet. Just because you see it a lot does not mean its true. At one time I pulled a lot of guard duty in the Army. It was 24 hour shifts on a missile site, 8 of those hours was actual guard duty, two hours at a time. You can grumble all you want, but it's called "duty". I've had worse duty.

[OIF VET]

its nothing more than Air Force Infantry

[bellhead]

I worked at a Navy Telecommunications Facility which had a Naval Security Group facility on the same base, we had a full company of Marines who were there for nothing but security for our facilities. We didn't draw guard duty we had the Marines for that, they also not only provided perimeter security but also checked people coming and going in and out of the facility for classified and controlled material. When I was in the Air Guard I was part of a Air Control Squadron who had a small Security Forces group but were augmented by us the techs. We had to qualify on several different weapons systems and become proficient in them while learning basic security forces stuff. To me it was a nice break from comm stuff, and it was fun shooting the different weapons. The only thing I never got to shoot was a full auto M-60 and a Mark 19, we would have had them issued if we had of deployed for war.

[Caltovegas]

Look folks it a comes down to the "E". A E-2 cook or mechanic is still a E-2.

[faabala]

OK, I was in Security Forces for 24 years. I have seen the career field change for the worse over that time. We used to have to AFSCs Security and Law Enforcement. I was Law Enforcement. We both also did Air Base Defense duty as needed. When they combined the AFSCs in 1997 they tried to turn the field in the light infantry static defense troops. It was a disaster. They thought they could do a way with the Law Enforcement function or give it to DOD civilians or contract security. The career field shifted to a train, deploy, train, deploy, train, deploy mindset with our forces backfilling and doing Army missions in Iraq. Nuc security be became a trap that once you got sent there you could never leave, they did not deploy and could rarely PCS or retrain. Everyone esle was deploying 6 months every year. The junior ranks for the most part came in Open General or washed out of other tech schools. Article 15 are handed out for stupid minor offenses, idiots have been promoted to NCO positions because the best have bailed and gone on to better careers in the civilian world. The career field is hard broke and nobody knows how to fix it. To me the answer has always been the Britsh Model. An Air Force regiment with the sole mission of base defence and a Military Police section that specializes in Law Enforcement.

[skins_fan82]

I did four years in the Air Force, including two tours to southeast Asia. Several of my good friends were cops. I have absolutely no idea why anybody would view them in a negative light. The hours can sometimes be long, and they often go through longer deployments than most AF personnel, but they're people just like anybody else. Hell, they keep us safe.

Unless they're a complete and total d-bag, I would never look down on anybody who chooses to serve.

[Submariner]

I attended the AF Police Academy at Lackland.

The Navy used to have Marines serving as Gate Guards and MAs doing internal security.

Shore Patrol is from a ship, any NCO who is on-duty. The SP job is to herd sailors away from the bad parts of towns. When sailors get too drunk the SP carries them back to the ship. And when fights break-out the SP tries to remove the sailors before local LEO shows up.

After the Marines pulled back, then Navy Law Enforcement had to expand. MA is a rate that can be done career long. MAs served mostly at-sea on surface [target] vessels. The Navy developed a 9545 NEC to fill-in the gap for use on Navy bases.

I hold the 9545 NEC.

At most Navy bases the PD is ran by senior MAs. A small Marine cadre forms the training division, MAs for the dog-handlers and crime investigators, while 9545s are patrolmen.

9545s will normally do half a shift standing on a gate, checking IDs and vehicles. Then the other half of the shift in a patrol car. While on patrol they do: money escorts, they respond to reports of larceny, traffic accidents, fights, etc. Together the MAs and the 9545s form the Law Enforcement on Navy Bases.

Navy Law Enforcement personnel routinely work hand-in-hand with Local National [LN] PDs. Few LNs can afford to operate a certified Dog Kennel. So our Dog-Handlers go off-base daily to assist LN PDs with their dogs. We may also provide assistance when LN LEOs need to beef-up their presence during a drug raid.

In some areas the Navy holds a Cooperative Jurisdiction with LN forces. For example in Naples Italy, the US Navy exercises legal jurisdiction over a 500 square-mile area. That area includes 6 NATO bases and a few dozen leased facilities.

Navy Law Enforcement personnel make hourly patrols between all of those facilities in their jurisdictional area. Responding to break-ins, traffic accidents, fights, etc, to protect NATO forces and their families living within that area. I served a 3-year tour in the Naples Italy NATO base PD.

When an Italian LEO arrests you, you WANT a US Navy Law Enforcement personnel to respond to assist in calming down the situation. We do the same for all NATO personnel from all NATO nations. [I have done that]

When a LN hospital takes in a small child from a hit/run traffic accident, discovers that he does not speak the local language. But from the tags in his clothing, he might be an American. You WANT for an American to respond to provide assistance. [I have done that too]

The Navy likes using NCOs on shore-duty as 9545s, because as NCOs it is assumed that they can handle themselves in a more mature manner than 18 year old kids do.

All Navy MAs and 9545s go through the Air Force Police Academy.



The Federal DOL recognizes this career field as being fully Law Enforcement. The DOL has an apprenticeship / Journeyman program that certifies a Police Officer's training and experience at standardized levels. Many US civilian PDs recognize the Federal DOL, some do not.



On the other hand, for 18 year old kids, spending many months, in rotating shift-work, guarding an isolated gate, on the back end of an airfield, I can easily see where it could be considered a very low end job.

You might pull a billet where you walk a circuit between warehouses, checking their doorknobs to make sure they are locked.

[boxus]

Originally Posted by Almeida93

What makes it a "bad" job and why is it one of the most undermanned according to this link?

Air Force Stressed Job Listing -- Enlisted

It seems like a pretty decent job, that could give you good experience if you want to go into security, and it seems attainable if you qualify for it and pass it since its in the undermanned category?

What is so bad about it?

Speaking from a Navy perspective; IT IS BORING!

Yes, security is boring, gate guard, door checker, flight line, all of that is just boring as heck, not mentally stimulating at all. Nothing more takes motivation out of someone with an average IQ or more than gate guard for 12 hours, 3-2-3 shift, week after week, month after month, year after year. A person with a slightly below average IQ or greater will become stressed due to the boredom.

Since staff positions are so limited, you have to be the brown noser of the department to even get one. But even if everyone brown nosed, there still is not enough positions, someone has to check ID's.

"could give you good experience if you want to go into security"

You mean in the civilian world? A person does not need to go into the military to get into security, security is always hiring because it is a dull, low skilled, low pay, thankless job.

[Lei-Kung]

it sucks

[Lei-Kung]

Jesus, Mary and Joseph don't do it man!