RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Visiting a foreign country while on leave can be a relaxing, even rewarding, experience for Team Randolph members and their families, but some areas of the world could be a dangerous travel.
Personnel should be aware of the proper steps they need to take before making such a journey - precautions that can mean the difference between an enjoyable experience and a perilous, even deadly, one.
Those steps range from completing Antiterrorism Level I Awareness Force Protection computer-based training to reviewing the Pentagon's Foreign Clearance Guide for the country being visited and obtaining an isolated personnel report, or ISOPREP, card, if necessary.
"The purpose of these requirements is basically to protect our people everywhere outside the United States and its territories, whether or not those places are high-risk areas," said Master Sgt. Michael Broeker, 12th Flying Training Wing chief of information protection.
According to a 12th Flying Training Wing supplement to Air Force Instruction 31-401 dated June 14, 2008, personnel traveling outside the United States and its territories must report to the unit security manager for a travel briefing that includes the AT Level I Awareness CBT and a counterintelligence recognition briefing.
Sergeant Broeker said he directs personnel to the U.S. Department of State Web site, http://www.state.gov, a resource that provides profiles of foreign nations and information like travel advisories.
"That will give you everything you need to know about a country," he said.
AT Level I Awareness CBT is required of all personnel, and it is recommended for all dependents who are making the journey, though it is optional, Sergeant Broeker said.
"It will make them more aware of their surroundings," he said. "We want families to be aware of what's going on in the world."
The information- and scenario-based training needs to be completed within six months of travel, he added.
The unit security manager also keeps a log with the person's name, rank, the country of destination, the reason for travel, the departure date, the return date and other information. When they return, personnel should be debriefed by the security manager to ensure there were no suspicious foreign contacts during the trip.
Another requirement is reviewing the Foreign Clearance Guide for the country being visited, which can be found at https://www.fcg.pentagon.mil. The FCG tells what areas are off limits to travel, details requirements for each country, lists U.S. Embassy contact information and generates a location-specific AT briefing that must be signed and returned to an embassy liaison.
Military travelers may also be directed to the Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearance System Web site, https://apacs,dtic.mil/apacs, to fill out clearance approval, if required. They may have to create an account on the APACS Web site to create the necessary clearances and obtain an ISOPREP card using Personnel Recovery Mission Software on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network.
Mance Clark, 12th Security Forces Squadron AT Force Protection officer, said some of these requirements had applied to aircrews and other personnel in the past, but now are required of all Airmen because of changing conditions in other countries, including areas that are popular tourist destinations.
"Travel restrictions are now being managed because of civil unrest around the world," he said.
Mr. Clark said the Internet allows for widespread distribution of information that can help travelers make wise decisions and be aware of their surroundings.
"You should do more research into the countries you're going to, and even to places in the U.S.," he said. "If you don't do research, you could be subjected to a situation you could have avoided or even be killed. You have to know your surroundings."
Mr. Clark said the leave process will become more familiar in time.
"We don't want to lose anyone through the cracks," he said. "In time it will become second nature."
For more information, see your unit AT representative or call Mr. Clark at 652-1357.