Pacific Defenders program building ties that span oceans

Though the Pacific Ocean spans more than 105 million square miles, 36 nations and 13 time zones, the region has never seemed smaller to an U.S. Air force captain.

Capt. Doug Dinkins, Air Force Installations Mission Support Center chief of security forces operations, has spent the last few months overseeing the Security Forces Pacific Defender international subject-matter expert exchange program - a networking initiative founded in 2010 to bring security forces personnel from the air forces of select Asia-Pacific nations closer together.

 Thailand, Tonga, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos and Fiji. They have already toured U.S. installations in Guam and Hawaii and wrapped up a week-long visit to Joint Base San Antonio from March 28 to April 1. 

"We’re building relationships here with the same people we come across when we operate across the Pacific," Dinkins said. "Whether we all cross paths on a joint training exercise or a disaster response, the region feels very small thanks to these connections."

Participants in the Pacific Defender program get a first-hand look of the entire U.S. Air Force security force apparatus from training to deployment. These individuals tour facilities and observe training, tactics and techniques that U.S. security forces utilize to eventually take their experiences to their own militaries.

At JBSA-Lackland, the members toured the Air Force Security Forces Museum, 802nd Security Forces Squadron’s armory and range, and 341st Training Squadron’s Military Working Dog kennels and facilities. In addition, they observed the MWD puppy program, basic military training graduation, and 343rd TRS and 802nd Force Support Squadron Airmen.

"The reaction was great; these guys really enjoyed seeing everything we had to show them," Dinkins said. "Being at JBSA-Lackland gives them an opportunity to see how we build personnel from the ground up."

Royal Australian Air Force wing commander Andrew McHugh was one of the tour participants and is a 27-year veteran in charge of the air force security and fire school in Brisbane.

“The scale of the training here at JBSA-Lackland – with all the recruits and trainees coming through – is at a scale that’s quite hard to believe,” McHugh said. “They’re a really impressive organization. We’re quite envious of some of the facilities and opportunities provided here.”

Despite these differences in resources and operations, McHugh said the diverse participants honed in on common ground over the course of the program.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” he said. “The interaction between the groups is pretty good – it always takes that little settling period before you get comfortable with one another, but once the interaction starts, we seemed to realize that although we are from different countries the bonds as airmen bring us together. That’s a commonality straightaway, and that will make it easier to work and fight together in the future after forging those bonds of friendship.”

Lt. Col Peter Tay, force protection branch head and another Pacific Defender participant, hails from the Republic of Singapore Air Force and is a 20-year veteran.

“JBSA-Lackland is a fantastic base and our security forces’ basic training is similar,” he said. “However, our training is much compact as majority of our airmen are conscripts. We leverage on technology to bring them up-to-speed in the shortest possible time.”

During the tour, Tay learned just as much from his Asian-Pacific partners as he did from the U.S. presence, he said.

“What I found very beneficial was learning what other countries have in place; what works well against terrorism and security threats for them,” Tay said. “In light of the growing and evolving threats around the world, I think it’s important for all of us to come together to exchange ideas and share best practices to counter these threats.”

These exchanges also benefit the U.S.

"This trip wasn't just a one-way conversation,” Dinkins explained. “We sparked a lot of talk about how they do things in their countries. The U.S. knows that we don't have all the answers, so if we hear about a smarter, more innovative way of doing something, that's beneficial to us, too."

The Pacific Defender program might seem small now, but these connections will prove beneficial in the future, he added.

"The idea is to get dialogue going, to earn that mutual respect and understanding so that if we have a humanitarian aid or disaster response mission in the Pacific, we can go into that host nation already having an understanding of how they do business," he said. "That way, in the future when we come together, we’re part of a relationship that’s continuing, not just starting."