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High-tech search pit operations keep American, Coalition forces secure

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Cassandra Locke
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  To ensure the safety and security of personnel on base, Airmen search about 900 personnel and 500 vehicles on a daily basis using high-tech equipment and canine assistance. 

The 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron ensures all vehicles entering the base are secure. They also ensure the third country nationals coming onto base are free of potential hazards to the base. 

To protect the base's personnel, aircraft and other assets, all vehicles entering the base must go through the search pit where the 379th ESFS members search the interior and exterior of the vehicles. The squadron's military working dogs also search every vehicle that enters the search pit. 

"The search pit is critical because of the threat to all American and Coalition forces. We want to make sure that the base population is safe and our resources are secure," said Tech. Sgt. Steve Neith, 379th ESFS search pit flight chief. 

"We search mainly for improvised explosive devices and vehicle borne explosive devices," said Sergeant Neith. 

Sergeant Neith said the Airmen search roughly 15,000 vehicles and around 27,000 personnel a month. Not only do they search American and Coalition forces coming on base, but also the third country nationals. The TCNs go though a process everyday that involves high technology equipment such as metal detectors and machines that specifically look for biohazards and explosive residue. If one of the detectors senses a biohazard or explosive trace, then the individual will proceed through the machine again to rule out any false positives. If the detector goes off again, then the TCN will be scanned by an X-ray machine that is designed to see under layers of clothes without penetrating tissue. 

"Hundreds of TCNs are thoroughly searched every day as they come onto the base," said Sergeant Neith. 

The base is currently setting up a high- tech process in which the TCNs will be enrolled in the Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS). 

The purpose of DBIDS is to establish one identity token for the entire federal government and is used to manage installation access control for military installations. DBIDS utilizes an individual's biometrics to verify their identity before gaining access to the base, thereby reducing the risk of identity theft and unauthorized access. DBIDS can also verify any past criminal history or run fingerprints of suspected terrorists. 

"This technology enables us to research data logs of who was on the installation or in a secured area at the time of an incident," said Sergeant Neith. 

While the primary focus of the search pit's mission is to search for IEDs and VBIEDs, sometimes they run into other things that need to be reported. 

Though the search pit is available to ensure safety and security, people need to be responsible for avoiding potentially harmful situations and seeing a problem before coming onto the base. 

According to Tech. Sgt. Chaun Bonk, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing force protection, when traveling off base, it's everyone's responsibility to do a vehicle check anytime they are parked regardless of your destination. 

"Personnel need to check the under-carriage of the vehicle as well as under the dashboard, seat and check for protruding wires outside of the gas tanks," she said.
The sergeant also said to park in a well-lit area to avoid being tampered with. There's more of a chance someone will tamper with the vehicle if parked in a dark area. 

"The 379th ESFS Airmen are highly trained professionals who take the role at the search pit very seriously," said Sergeant Neith. "We're proud of what we do to contribute to the global war on terrorism."