RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Everyone on Randolph Air Force Base will be asked to take a more active role in the protection of people, buildings and resources here due to a recent change in Air Force security focus.
With this new security mindset, the Air Force expects base inhabitants to report all discrepancies to Security Forces so they can respond and investigate.
Tech. Sgt. David Colon, 12th Security Forces Squadron, NCOIC, integrated defense, said prior to the change, Security Forces, AFOSI and each base's anti-terrorism officer focused on a checklist mentality to ensure everyone and everything on bases was secure. But with the new "Integrated Defense" concept, there is a flexible threat-based strategy which allows each base to customize a security posture that will operate to lessen or eliminate security compromises.
"What this means is force protection is now everyone's responsibility, not just that of Security Forces, AFOSI and the base anti-terrorism officer," Sergeant Colon explained.
Team Randolph personnel will be asked to look for suspicious activity in work areas and on the base as a whole, the sergeant added.
"For example," he said," when driving on the perimeter, did you see any obvious holes in the fence line? Was someone seen taking pictures of the base? Did you see someone climb over the fence?"
Sergeant Colon said even family members on base can participate by unhesitatingly contacting the Base Defense Operations Center, or BDOC, when they see something unusual.
In fact, families are a virtual neighborhood watch in the Integrated Defense concept.
"They are a key part of seeing what is out of the ordinary when it comes to base housing," the sergeant said. "For example, there's a moving truck at the neighbors house, but the neighbor never mentioned anything about moving."
Sergeant Colon said Integrated Defense benefits the Air Force because it helps provide a sense of ownership when thinking in a defensive mind set.
He said there's another plus.
"It also gives the military a way to prepare themselves for deployments, where integrated defense is the standard," he added.
Sergeant Colon added that during higher Force Protection Conditions, base inhabitants will be tasked with more pro-active security actions. They include conducting random anti-terrorism measures around work areas.
Those pro-active measures serve to free Security Forces to check on discrepancies and to patrol near the base's outer perimeter, he said.
"By assuming more responsibility for the security of your own resources and equipment, Security Forces can proactively obligate more resources toward deterring, denying and defeating threats affecting the base at the perimeter," the sergeant said.