CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
For Airmen at Charleston AFB, a deployment is typically between four and six months in their specific Air Force specialty code. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to deploy in a different field? One such field is escorting third country nationals in the area of responsibility.
Taskings for new escorts take place often at Charleston, so you're probably wondering when it will be your turn.
It's completely different than working with fellow Airmen who are in your career field. Working as an expeditionary escort, you are placed with a team of Airmen covering more than 50 different AFSCs who come together to support the mission. Supervision is different, leadership is different and the way others work together will be different. Work sites are divided into sections among the NCOs and junior-ranking Airmen patrolling these sites while the leadership maintains control of the work space and quality of life for the Airmen.
When I volunteered for TCN escort duty, the only detail I received about the job was: "you're going to be babysitting TCNs." When I met with fellow Airmen who were going, that was the only thing they were told as well.
Babysitting? What does this mean? What does my job require? Who will I be working for? What are TCNs? These were some of the questions I had when I first arrived for my four-month deployment in Southwest Asia.
After two months, the phrase "babysitting" turned into "monitoring host nation contractors while they perform construction, maintenance and services for the base." You may have to sit and literally watch a group of TCNs for an hour or two, others may require that you transport them to other work sites around base and follow them around and keep a close eye on them in controlled areas.
When I arrived at the temporary duty location, I jumped right into work after a 21-hour flight and only three hours of rest. There was no such thing as a day off until all required training was complete.
The escort flight recently changed from being with the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron to the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at the base I was deployed to. Now under security forces, escorts are required to attend a baton training course and they are also trained to perform duties as a security forces augmentee in case of an increased threat level.
When performing these jobs, escorts work one-on-one with the security forces squadron. Any suspicious activity is turned in to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations as an eagle eyes report. However, if it's taking place at the work site, security forces is called to respond to the scene immediately. Bringing TCNs on base also requires security forces attention at entry control points.
AFOSI also monitors TCNs along with the escorts. Escorts are required to stay alert at all times. If the job isn't performed with 100 percent attention, something small could go unnoticed and sensitive information could be found by TCNs. As the base's second line of defense, escorts are responsible for ensuring the safety of the base population and its assets. TCNs have limited access to some critical areas and escorts are responsible for ensuring they work and are not trying to gain any intelligence.
Along with security forces, escorts will rely on civil engineer and the contracting squadrons for dealing with payments, handling discrepancies between Air Force units and the TCN contractors and dealing directly with the bosses themselves. Escorts are not responsible for making sure they are doing the job correctly because they are not required to know how to accomplish TCN tasks. However, CE Airmen will constantly monitor the sites to check the progress and they will become familiar with the workers around the work sites.
The TCNs make low wages for the work they do and stay in foreign countries for years at a time to earn and send money home to their families. Many times you will hear the phrase "TCNs are not your friends," however, you will get to know the company supervisors and bosses. You will learn some of their language and adapt to their working style.
Some of their lifestyle habits are displayed in how they interact together. Some may be disturbing or make you laugh, but you have to learn to respect their culture. Insulting or offending someone could be a huge offense in your area of responsibility. Remember, you are there to protect the base from vulnerabilities; you can't let them become too friendly.
Being an escort can be a learning experience for the Air Force world outside of your workplace. TCN duty broadens the idea of leadership and how the Air Force is structured. A TCN escort is not an AFSC; the escort flight operating procedures change from rotation-to-rotation, base-to-base and Airmen find new ways to improve the job every day.
If you think you might want to volunteer for this type of duty and want more information, e-mail me at Cynthia.Spalding@us.af.mil.