KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- Airman 1st Class Matt Newman enters information into the police blotter. Airman Newman is deployed to the 755th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Law and Order Unit from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Airmen assigned to the Law and Order unit are charged with enforcing traffic laws on the NATO base, handling reports of theft and other disturbances. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Keith Brown)

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Defenders: Peterson Airman helps keep Kandahar operations in check, Airmen safe

Published Nov. 12, 2008
By Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore
U.S. AFCENT News Team

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Security forces Airmen are the first line of defense for an Air Force base. They are charged with maintaining the rule of law; this is especially important in a war-torn region like Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The men and women from the 755th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron work tirelessly to ensure the service members remain safe.

"The most rewarding part is of our job is keeping order on the base and helping those who need it most," said Airman 1st Class Matt Newman, the 755th ESFS desk sergeant who is deployed from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

While many of the security force's duties are the same as at home station, such as patrolling the base's perimeter, there are also many additional challenges they face in securing a base in a war zone.

Perhaps the biggest difference is responding to rocket and mortar attacks.

After a rocket attack, the team works with International Military Police Forces to coordinate a response, said Sgt. Layton, deployed from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. The security forces team is responsible for conducting unexploded ordinances sweeps and establishing cordons.

When responding to an attack, the security forces members fall back on their training to keep the servicemembers safe, and they believe in the importance of their mission.

"My biggest concern is the safety of the Airmen deployed here," said Tech. Sgt. James Layton, 755th ESFS Force Protection. "We were sent here to do a job ... if we did not have law and order on the base, things would get pretty crazy around here."