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Force Protection 'rocks'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Matkin
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  "What do you do on base? How big is the base? What kind of aircraft does your base have?" asks a cashier at the local mall, seemingly making small talk.

These questions may seem harmless, but providing sensitive information regarding base operations puts all servicemembers here at risk, said Maj. Apryl Cymbal, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing force protection chief.

Force Protection is responsible for the installation-wide antiterrorism and force protection programs. It is their job to coordinate all AT and FP initiatives and ensure wing programs are compliant with Department of Defense, U.S. Central Command, Air Forces Central Command and local policies, Major Cymbal said.

FP is also responsible for training the base populace on off-base travel procedures and managing the installation Random Antiterrorism Measure program, said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Jones, 379 AEW FP NCO in charge, deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.
Most servicemembers know about FP through these programs. They also know that security operations play a major role in the installation's AT and FP posture; however, many different squadrons on base are involved in protecting the installation, Major Cymbal said.

For example, new construction on DoD installations must now incorporate AT standards to maximize survivability of the base resources and populace in case of an attack. Installation AT and FP posture includes emergency management, mass casualty planning, infrastructure hardening, such as protecting food, water and power sources; even guarding the third country national workforce, Major Cymbal said.

One squadron that has a major role in protecting the base is the 379th Civil Engineer Squadron. "They establish the barrier plans that protect the installation's critical infrastructure and ensure new buildings are constructed to DoD anti-terrorism standards," Major Cymbal said.

The barriers protecting the buildings around base are a DoD standard that requires a minimum amount of stand-off distance for primary gathering facilities, such as dorms. "The chance of survivability if a bomb were to detonate near a facility is much greater with a minimum of 25-meter stand-off distance in place," the major said.

"Servicemembers often wonder why there are big rocks scattered all over the base; these are not random or accidental," the major continued. "Here on base, we've established facility stand-off using big rocks; however, the base is growing at such an incredibly fast pace that we are continually reevaluating our barrier planning. The 379 AEW just purchased more than $5 million worth of new barriers to protect new construction."

Although different squadrons and base offices play a role in FP and AT measures, the base populace, as a whole, is responsible for protecting the base, Major Cymbal said.

"The number one thing servicemembers can do to keep base personnel safe is to guard against intelli-gence gathering by adversarial forces. The goal is to make it as hard as possible for adversaries to collect information about us and about our missions and daily operations -- in other words, practice good operational security," Major Cymbal said. "When [servicemembers] are relaxing at Memorial Plaza or visiting downtown, it's easy to chill out and think life is pretty good, but no one in the [U.S. Central Command area of responsibility] can afford to forget that we have determined enemies who are constantly seeking information."

The AT and FP working group structure is designed to facilitate installation-wide communication and cooperation, Major Cymbal said. The chief of FP chairs the installation Antiterrorism Working Group, which is comprised of all unit-level AT representatives. The 379 AEW FP also facilitates the Threat Working Group, chaired by the 379 AEW vice commander, and meets weekly to assess AT and FP initiatives and evaluate the current local threat. All 38 units on base, including most of the partner units, are involved in the ATWG and TWG. Many AT and FP programs have a direct impact on the base populace, such as the Off-Base Travel Program, and many of the decisions regarding this program are made at the advice of the TWG. The 379 AEW FP also facilitates the Antiterrorism Executive Committee meetings, which serve as the senior leadership forum for AT and FP matters.

"The overall objective of the AT and FP programs is to make the base a hard and complicated target so the 'bad guy' will give up in the attack planning phase," Major Cymbal said.

With the combined effort of the Antiterrorism and Threat Working Groups, the 379 AEW Force Protection staff captured the 2009 AFCENT, CENTCOM and DoD Best Antiterrorism Program award for a fixed unit.