United States Air Force Security Forces

Air Force Security Forces, formerly named Air Force Security Police, are the US Air Force's military police. They can be spotted fairly easily on an Air Force base by their navy blue berets. Individuals in this Air Force Specialty Code (3P0X1) go through over 13 weeks of training at Lackland Air Force Base's 343rd Security Forces Training Squadron.

Duties

Air Force Security Forces members provide resource protection for vital national security assets, including fighter jets, bombers, nuclear bombs and nuclear missiles. Their main function is protection for all Air Force personnel, property, and operations. They are well trained in ground combat skills, including land navigation, crew served weapons systems, claymore mines, fragmentation hand grenade use, "LAWS" (light anti-tank weapon) deployment, hand and arm signals, squad movement, and many other skills. The Air Force Security Forces also provides the law enforcement function on all US Air Force bases to include response to emergencies, response to building alarms, traffic direction, traffic regulations enforcement, initial investigations, and crime scene securing for major crimes.

The unofficial Air Force Security Police web site is located here: http://www.afsp.net

Advancement and Specialties

Members in this career field can later move on to other specialties like the Phoenix Raven program consisting of highly trained soldiers who secure air strips in dangerous or combat zones that do not already have adequate security. Security Forces also deploy close precision engagement teams, also known as counter-snipers, who go through an extensive close precision engagement course (cpec) by US Army training personnel at Camp Robinson. A large section of the US Air Force Security Forces consists of Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM) personnel who train base personnel in the use of small arms weaponry and maintain and repair all of the bases weaponry. The Military Working Dog (MWD) program is another program available to members in this career field. Military Working Dog teams deploy explosive detection and narcotics detection dogs throughout the base. Also, a limited number are accepted into other training programs like the US Army's Air Assault School, the US Army's Airborne jump school, and the US Army's pre-Ranger and Ranger school training. Security Forces members can also go through advanced training in investigations, advanced driving school training by the Air Force Office of Special Investigation (AFOSI), and most bases have an Emergency Services Team, which is closely modeled after civilian police department SWAT teams.