JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Recently we had "bad guys" conducting real world surveillance of the Joint Base Charleston Gate the week of Sept. 15 during the morning commute. None of our JB Charleston Integrated Defense Force detected or reported this event even though this person was obviously photographing the Dorchester Gate from across Dorchester Road.
But for a single 628th Security Forces Squadron member who reported what he saw to the Base Entry Controllers, this surveillance would have gone undetected.
Fortunately, the bad guys turned out to be RED CELL team members composed of trusted performers from higher headquarters and volunteers who were recruited to test JB Charleston's reactions to a realistic threat.
But who or what is the IDF who didn't see this event?
The answer is the IDF is every one of us who work or reside on the installation. The eyes and ears of each member of Team Charleston, as well as those of our neighbors in the local community, play an absolute crucial role in the prevention of terrorism and crime in the low country. We are the first line of defense because there are literally thousands of our teammates coming and going on the installation. Our base populace knows best what activities do or do not belong in and around their work areas, the installation or within their neighborhoods and communities.
And we as the IDF significantly outnumber our responders who cannot be everywhere all the time. No matter how well trained and vigilant our responders, law enforcement, security and counterterrorism personnel are, they simply cannot be everywhere, at all times. That's the strength of our IDF being alert and acting as a sensor to report surveillance or suspicious activity to officials.
What's so important about detecting hostile surveillance and suspicious activity at our installation?
Terrorists and criminals conduct surveillance against their chosen target in order to execute a successful attack. Our terrorist or criminal adversaries want to detect patterns of our IDF, defense and security routines to use against us and avoid detection before planning and executing their criminal or terrorist attack against the installation.
Where are some Hostile Surveillance Locations at the Air Base we should be aware of?
· Dorchester Gate:
Dorchester Road bus stop directly across from the Dorchester Gate.
Dorchester Road Shopping Center parking lot directly across from the Dorchester Gate.
Dorchester Gate Visitor Control Center parking lot. Parking is limited to 30 minutes.
Dorchester Road shoulders in the vicinity of the Dorchester Gate and up to the gate for the AAFES and the Commissary.
· Rivers Avenue Gate and Arthur Extension:
Rivers Gate Visitor Control Center parking lot. Parking is limited to 30 minutes.
Arthur Extension road shoulders in the vicinity of Rivers Gate and up to Rivers Avenue. There should be no loitering along this roadway.
Where are the Hostile Surveillance Locations at the Naval Weapons Station?
· Red Bank Road:
Rivers Gate Visitor Control Center parking lot. Parking is limited to 30 minutes.
Building 302 parking lot.
South Carolina Federal Credit Union parking lot facing Red Bank Road.
NEX parking lot.
Power Substation adjacent to G5W (NNPTC Gate).
Bushy Park Road turn off area.
Red Bank Club parking lot, adjacent to G1W.
Red Bank Road shoulders from the rail road tracks at building 301 to G1W. There should be no loitering along this roadway.
· Remount Road:
Building parking lot directly across Remount Road from G4W and Search 4.
Power substation adjacent to G4W.
Gate in the perimeter fence just west of G4W. It is often used as a turnaround spot. There should be no loitering.
Closed gate at the intersection of Remount Road and Virginia Avenue. This is adjacent to Charlie's Pond.
· Cooper River:
There is no loitering, fishing, anchoring or photography on the Cooper River in the areas adjacent to the Weapons Station.
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 334.460 Cooper River and tributaries at Charleston, S.C., states "(b) The regulations: ... personnel, vessels and other watercraft entering the restricted area ... shall proceed at normal speed and under no circumstances anchor, fish, loiter or photograph until clear of the restricted area.
Personnel, vessels and other watercraft, other than those specifically authorized by Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Weapons Station, Charleston, S.C., ... are prohibited from entering within one-hundred (100) yards of the west bank of the Cooper River, in those portions devoid of any vessels or manmade structures. In those areas where vessels or man-made structures are present, the restricted area will be 100 yards from the shoreline or 50 yards beyond those vessels or other manmade structures, whichever is the greater. This includes the area in paragraph (a)(10) of this section.
In the interest of National Security, Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Weapons Station, Charleston, S.C., may at his/her discretion, restrict passage of persons, watercraft and vessels in the areas described in paragraphs (a)(7) and (a)(11) of this section until such time as he/she determines such restriction may be terminated.
Our IDF is critical to the success of surveillance detection and installation force protection. During the morning and evening commutes we ask you scan the HSLs and look for people who stand out to you, especially if they are using a cell phone, tablet, camera or other electronic device to record the audio visual images or sounds of our installation, drawing or measuring. There really is nothing architecturally significant about our entry control points that make them worth photographing, drawing or measuring unless it's an adversary doing hostile surveillance.
Remember, if you see something, say something. Report your observations of suspicious activity or hostile surveillance to gate sentries or call:
Base Defense Operations Center (BDOC) Air Base - 843-963-3600.
Base Defense Operations Center (BDOC) Weapons Station - 843-794-7777.
Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) Det 310 - 843-963-3248.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) - 843-794-7800.
SC State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) - 1-866-472-8477.
If an emergency - 911