AFOSI seeks top-quality Airmen

Published Jan. 24, 2014
By Air Force Office of Special Investigations

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is responsible for investigating major crimes against the Air Force, Department of Defense, and the United States. AFOSI directly denies the abilities of terrorist networks and foreign intelligence efforts. AFOSI is constantly seeking exceptional non-commissioned officers for duty as enlisted special agents.

With more than 2,700 members, AFOSI has been the Air Force's premier investigative service since August 1948. AFOSI conducts criminal investigations, fraud investigations, and counterintelligence activities servicing leaders at every echelon of Air Force command. In doing so, AFOSI must constantly replenish its agent cadre and its primary source of new agents is the active-duty enlisted force.

"Airmen from every career field who join AFOSI bring something different and unique to the fight," said Special Agent Frank McBride, superintendent of the Applicant Processing Branch, Headquarters AFOSI. "We are constantly seeking top quality Airmen to join our team."

"We recruit Airmen from diverse backgrounds to solve the Air Force's most complex investigations. Our agents are held in the highest regard by our nation's government and military leaders," said Chief Master Sgt. Hank Cottingham, AFOSI Command chief master sergeant. Cottingham retrained into AFOSI 17 years ago from the security forces career field. "Airmen with integrity and positive attitudes who operate in the spirit of teamwork have had successful careers as AFOSI agents. If you are an Airman looking to make a great impact in our Air Force then AFOSI is hands-down the way to go."

According to McBride, AFOSI's primary recruiting focus is on staff sergeants with 5-10 years in service, technical sergeants with less than one year in grade, and stellar senior airmen who are eligible to retrain. He added, "We will consider others who don't fall within those parameters but those are our primary target groups."

Once approved for retraining, all special agent candidates attend training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga. Candidates must complete both an 11-week Criminal Investigator Training Program and a seven-week AFOSI specific course. Both courses offer training in weapons use, forensics, surveillance and surveillance detection, antiterrorism, crime scene processing, interrogations and more.

After successful completion of a 15-month probationary period, agents may receive specialized training in advanced forensics, polygraph, specialized counterintelligence services, computer crimes, fraud, and technological services including electronic, photographic, and other technical surveillance countermeasures.

For information about AFOSI's mission, visit the AFOSI public website at www.osi.andrews.af.mil. NCOs interested in becoming an AFOSI special agent should review the applicant website at http://www.osi.af.mil/questions/enlisted/index.asp or contact Special Agent Palmer, 8th Field Investigations Squadron, at 556-4348.