Army, Air Force share watch

3/4/2003 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) -- The Air Force separated from the Army more than 50 years ago, but recently they have reunited.

Nationwide, almost 9,000 Army National Guard members from around the country have been deployed to 163 Air Force bases to provide force protection.

For many, that simply means showing an identification card to a soldier instead of an airman but, behind the scenes, the soldiers will work side-by-side with security forces for the next year to protect Air Force property and assets. They will be at the flightline security posts and be part of mobile patrols.

In Air Force Space Command, about 220 soldiers are now spread out among 14th Air Force installations. Because of the specialized protection needed to guard ICBM assets, no Army troops are stationed at those installations.

The soldiers allow active-duty security forces units to go back to eight-hour shifts, according to Maj. Bob Haughey, individual mobilization augmentee to the chief of programs and resources for AFSPC security forces. They are also giving a much-needed break to Air Force Reserve Command security forces members now in their second year of mobilization.

The action has not produced any tremors among either group.

"We really haven't had any major issues," Haughey said. "I've been very impressed by how smoothly it has gone."

The Army members in AFSPC cover a lot of job specialties -- everything from artillery to combat engineers to signal corps. Although all soldiers have basic infantry training, some specialized education was needed before they were ready to begin.

Soldiers spent about six days at Army installations for refresher training in weapon familiarization; nuclear, biological and chemical protection; and some specialized training, according to Army Lt. Col. Mark Brackney, the deployment's liaison between AFSPC and the Army National Guard. Then, Brackney said, they spent a week at AFSPC installations to catch up on Air Force rank structure, what to look for in an ID card and car tags, use of the baton and flex cuffs and the proper use of force. Although they will not be involved in the law enforcement aspect of security forces duties, the soldiers could find themselves in intruder or riot situations.

"Training was thorough," said Army Sgt. Robert Hammersley of the 578th Engineers Battalion, Bravo Company, based in Long Beach, Calif. His unit is pulling duty now at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. "All the soldiers feel confident about the training they received."

Brackney said that this is the second time Army National Guard soldiers have been called up in the last 18 months. The first time was to guard the nation's airports after Sept. 11, 2001.

He added there was no shortage of volunteers once soldiers were told they would be deployed to Air Force bases.

"When they were told they would be on Air Force bases, they jumped at the chance," Brackney said.

"Vandenberg is a garden spot," said Hammersley about the California base. "My commander said getting the assignment (there) was like winning the deployment lotto."

Regardless of how good the assignment is for the Army, they bring the assurance to the Air Force that security and force protection capabilities will not suffer because of increased deployments.

"The Army brings a large amount of motivation and skill, proving vital to the force protection efforts at Patrick," said Capt. Scott Sanford from the 45th Security Forces Squadron operations at Patrick AFB, Fla. Soldiers from the 146th Signal Battalion from Jacksonville will be working side-by-side with his SF airmen for the next year. "With our increased deployment operations tempo, they are absolutely crucial to the wing's ability to sustain and enhance home-station security."

The welcome the Army has received has been open and enthusiastic, said Brackney.

"The Air Force has integrated us into the security forces mission," he said. "The moment we got here, they said: 'Welcome to the fold. You are a part of our security forces, not an augmentee.'"

Haughey paraphrased the character Rick from the movie "Casablanca" to sum up the relationship.

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." (Courtesy of AFSPC News Service. Portions of this article were contributed by Capt. Susan A. Romano, 45th Space Wing Public Affairs, and 2nd Lt. Michelle Mayo, 30th Space Wing Public Affairs.)