Force protection is everybody's business

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Erik Hofmeyer
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  Mr. James Mitchell is an affable veteran who is quick to crack a joke or simply "shoot the breeze." But when it comes to preventing a terrorist attack at Homestead Air Reserve Base, he's all business, all the time.

Mr. Mitchell, the Homestead Air Reserve Base antiterrorism officer, entered this particular career field in 2005 after almost 30 years of serving in Air Force Security Forces. He employs his wealth of experience by striving to ensure base personnel remain what he calls "hard targets," or in other words, very well defended.

To sum up the mission of Antiterrorism Offices found on military installations, it involves mitigating and correcting any threats to base personnel and assets. The job requires extensive vulnerability assessments on all facets surrounding base operations and making recommendations geared toward lessoning potential threats, Mr. Mitchell said.

He enjoys roaming around the base, meeting everyone, and emphasizing the fact that force protection is everybody's business, not just that of Security Forces. All eyes and ears need to be open because military installations are potential targets, he said.

"No matter what type of suspicious activity that may be seen out there, we need that information passed on to myself or the Office of Special Investigations," he said.

The Antiterrorism officer also works closely with the OSI in the Eagle Eyes program that teaches people about the typical activities terrorists engage in to plan their attacks. Armed with this information, anyone can recognize elements of potential terror planning when they see it.

Mr. Mitchell references the last year's foiled plot to kill as many Soldiers as possible at Fort Dix, N.J., by a would-be terrorist group who lived near the installation.

"It was prevented because somebody on the outside said something to someone, which prompted an investigation. This is what we're looking for," he said.

Another aspect of the antiterrorism officer's is to go out into the community around the base to speak with civilians and civilian businesses and hand out informational material on antiterrorism.

"You have to get out into the community to help them understand what's going on," he said. "There may be people surveying the base's perimeter, and we may not know it. By connecting with the community, it gives them the opportunity for them to contact the base to offer a tip, and that give us the opportunity to investigate."

Another example from a different installation was when two males possibly of Southwest Asian decent attempted to purchase a 90 round ammunition drum (a large capacity magazine) for a foreign assault rifle from a pawn shop. The shop owner promptly reported the information to the base and local law enforcement, an investigation is ongoing.

"When you look at stopping terrorist incidents, the best way you stop it is to do it inside their planning stages. After they've committed a terrorist act, it's too late," he said. "Awareness and reporting suspicious activity is the key."