Photo By Master Sgt. Sandra Welch | Train, Advise, Assist Command – Air (TAAC-Air) Advisor’s Security Forces Squadron...... read more read more
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Story by Staff Sgt. Sandra Welch
KABUL, Afghanistan - Insider attacks are a number one concern of U.S. Forces downrange. Several people have lost their lives to someone they work with day-in and day-out … an attack they never saw coming.
The Train, Advise, Assist Command – Air (TAAC-Air) at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Oqab implemented Guardian Angels, U.S. Air Force security forces and U.S. Army personnel, to watch over advisers as they train the Airmen of the Afghan Air Force.
“Guardian Angels are our force protection personnel dedicated to protect all of our advisers and any of our coalition forces who are out on the line next to our Afghan counterparts,” said Capt. Tony Short, TAAC-Air security forces adviser. “Guardian Angels are very important because due to our proximity of the Afghans, unfortunately, we have to worry about insider threats and they are there to protect specifically against that.“
What makes a GA so important is how they can help the mission move in a forward direction and that more lives are not lost.
“It’s important for our advisers to have protection so there isn’t an insider threat, and to make sure they are not focused on what could happen, but rather focus on what their mission is, which is to advise and train Afghans,” said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Robertson, TAAC-Air security forces flight chief.
Conducting a GA mission at FOB Oqab is a bit different then normal security forces operations. Instead of guarding assets on a flight line such as aircraft and personnel, the SF members have a main priority of only personnel.
“This is a little different from a standard security mission in the mindset that, yes we still do FOB security, but the bulk of our force, the large number of personnel we have, is dedicated to the GA mission,” Short said. “Normally we would be out there protecting resources but this is strictly dedicated to protecting the personnel out there.”
The mission couldn’t get without the Guardian Angels, said Frank Alessi, Vehicle Maintenance Training Program Manager
“You probably don’t notice that they are around but we usually don’t see them half the time because they are in the shadows and keeping everyone safe,” Alessi said. “Not only do they keep us safe as the trainers … they keep our fellow students and linguists safe.”
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.08.2015 06:52 |
| Story ID: | 178424 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 482 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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