Eagle Eyes reprise spies, those who terrorize

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Torey Griffith
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Here in the middle of the U.S., where the air is clean, skies are blue and people are friendly, the enemy lurks.

Seeking information about operations, personnel and security, terrorists and spies from less than friendly nations may be trying to obtain information about the mission, or worse, planning an attack on the base.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations created the Eagle Eyes program to combat such attempts against military installations. Encouraging base residents and the local community to be cognizant of suspicious activities in the local area and report them.
The purpose of Eagle Eyes is to ensure the community knows what to look for and how to report suspicious activity. With a well-informed community, terrorist acts can be prevented or at least mitigated.

"Too many people are caught up in the belief that because they are on base it is automatically more secure," said Mr. Jerry Osban, 509th Security Forces Resource Protection. "While it is true there is a measure of security provided by the fence and guards, they are not the only answer. How you are involved with your community is the primary answer."

Law enforcement officers can't be everywhere, so they count on the eyes and ears of the entire community -- active duty, guard and reserve, military family members, civilian employees, defense contractors, merchants and community members to report suspicious activity.

"Reporting is crucial to the Eagle Eyes program," said Special Agent Jacob Vaught of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. "Community members are encouraged to report anything out of the norm, from unattended bags to possible elicitation attempts, as these actions are often small pieces of the larger puzzle. Reporting possible threat indicators allows OSI and its law enforcement partners the opportunity to make an informed decision and respond appropriately."

Some things to keep an Eagle Eye out for include: surveillance, elicitation or attempting to gather information during conversation, attempts to acquire sensitive information, the gathering of military uniforms and/or identification, and even dry-run attempts, where terrorists may try to judge the awareness and reactions of security personnel by hopping a fence or driving toward one of the gates at a high rate of speed.
 
Suspicious activity should be reported to Security Forces at 687-3700. No matter how insignificant it may seem, when something is out of place or doesn't belong, call it in.