Academy keeps base open, secure

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Veronica Ward
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. --  As the Air Force Academy gears up for another year of classes, training, family visits and football games, installation antiterrorism experts are working to balance the large number of visitors with base security concerns.

Despite the installation being in Force Protection Condition Bravo, which applies when an increased or more predictable threat of terrorist activity exists, Academy officials are prepared to maintain an open but secure campus.

Paul Ceciliani, the Academy's antiterrorism officer, said the Academy is unique because it's a college campus and military installation, which presents special security challenges.

"Extra security measures are being taken to ensure a safe environment for cadets and the base population," Ceciliani said.

Along with these security measures, Academy staff and cadets participate in several emergency-event exercises throughout the year to practice their emergency response procedures.

"Whether you're at a movie theater or in a shopping mall, these responses make a difference when it comes to saving a life in an emergency situation," Ceciliani said.
The Academy's security system and training is modeled after Eagle Eyes, an antiterrorism initiative designed by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to encourage Airmen to use their eyes and ears to combat terrorism.

Eagle Eyes is fashioned on the Homeland Security Department's If You See Something, Say Something campaign, which encourages service members to take responsibility for the safety of military personnel, assets and family members.

"The number of homegrown terror plots has tripled in the last five years and the Defense Department is high on terrorist target-lists," Ceciliani said. "The Eagle Eyes program is an avenue every Academy Airman can use to report any suspicious activity they see. In many cases, all it takes is for one person to call to stop an attack."

Suspicious activities
· Surveillance. Recording or monitoring activities with cameras, binoculars or vision-enhancing equipment, taking notes, drawing diagrams or writing on maps.

· Elicitation. Gathering information about operations, capabilities or people, and can occur via mail, fax, telephone or in person. An example is someone asking about base events, the location of critical facilities, manpower numbers, deployment procedures or how contract vehicles get onto the installation.

· Testing installation security. Trying to measure first-responders' reaction-time to security breaches and attempting to defeat security barriers. For example, a driver may approach an Academy gate without ID and pretend to be lost; his actual purpose is to determine the installation's security procedures and how far onto the installation he can get. The goal of testing an installation's security is to gauge any form of security response and the effect this response has on day-to-day operations.

· Acquiring supplies. Purchasing or stealing explosives, weapons, ammunition, military uniforms, decals or controlled credentials to access the base.

· Suspicious persons. Those not typically seen in an area. Airmen know who belongs on base and in their neighborhoods, and should report individuals or activities that seem out of place.

· "Dry runs." Moving people according to a plan before committing a crime. Typically used by criminals while planning a kidnapping or bombing. Mapping-out routes and determining the timing of traffic flow and traffic lights. Airmen should take note of anyone they see repeatedly moving from place to place without apparent purpose.

The 9-11 hijackers took several airline flights to practice getting into position and to note flight patterns and airport security. In other words, they conducted a "dry run" of day-to-day airport and aircraft security activities.

· Deploying assets.  Placing people and supplies in an area to commit a crime. Usually the last opportunity to alert authorities before a crime occurs. Airmen should look for people loading vehicles with weaponry or explosives, parking a suspicious vehicle, those who seem out of place in a military uniform or people who seem to be waiting for something to happen. One example of deploying assets is the Khobar towers bombing in 1996 in Saudi Arabia. A terrorist parked a truck loaded with explosives near the fence surrounding the towers and the driver ran away. This was seen by someone on the roof of the tower, who managed to get several service members out of the building. He saved many lives because he recognized the deploying of assets.

Call 333-2000 to report suspicious activity.

Visit www.osi.af.mil/eagleeyes and www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something for more information.