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• Space

Missile wings to ring in 2003 with new security forces groups

Air Force Space Command News Service

12/6/2002

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - A new year will bring a new organization to men and women who guard America's missile wings. Security forces at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., Malmstrom AFB, Mont., and Minot AFB, N.D., will split from operations and mission support groups in January to form their own security forces groups.

"To support the nuclear deterrent mission, we need a lot of security forces," said Maj. David Crawford, assistant chief, Force Applications, Manpower and Organization Division, Air Force Space Command. "Groups should increase the efficiency and organization of supporting that mission."

Security forces have until the end of January to form groups. The creation of a security forces group only occurs within 20th Air Force due to the higher population of security forces needed to protect missile assets. The organization of security forces at other AFSPC installations will remain unchanged.

Security forces groups were common until 1993 with the advent of the objective wing, which consolidated many functions into four groups: operations, support, logistics and medical. The concept inactivated the security forces groups and redistributed SF authorizations between the operations and mission support groups.

All base and missile security forces, separated nearly a decade ago, will now be reunited under the same group at F.E. Warren and Malmstrom. All missile security forces and their support functions will be within the same group at Minot, but base security protection will be maintained by the 5th Bomb Wing, the host base, which is Air Combat Command-controlled.

"The numbers at other Air Force Space Command bases don't warrant groups," said Chief Master Sgt. Richard Ellin, security forces manager, AFSPC. "The concept is neither to lose nor gain positions, but to put security forces under one umbrella. With all the security forces under one commander we will further enhance our ability to provide a high level of security deterrence at our bases."

AFSPC revisited the idea of security forces groups earlier this year and sought input from the missile wings. The concept of a central management point for security forces was well received and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. John Jumper approved the request to create the groups in October. Since then, security forces at AFSPC and at each wing have been working to ensure that it happens.

"Although we have seen these groups before this isn't as simple as a redesignation," said Lt. Col. Alan Anderson, deputy commander for security for the 341st Operations Group. "We've been doing as much advance planning as possible."

Advance planning has included determining how the reorganization will affect the squadrons that will belong to the new groups and synchronizing training, budget and supply sections.

However, the daily life and job duties of security forces personnel at the missile wings will not change - who they identify with will.

"When I first got here, my boss wasn't a cop, but a missileer, because I was part of the ops group," said Airman First Class David Moreland, security forces, 90th Space Wing. "But now, I'll have a cop commander."

The only other security forces groups in the Air Force are at Nellis AFB, Nev., and Ramstein Air Base, Germany.