MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- With Malmstrom Air Force Base having a missile complex covering nearly 14,000 square miles, roughly the size of Maryland, security forces and local authorities can only protect so much at one time regardless of how well-trained and vigilant they are. That’s where the Eagle Eyes program plays a vital role in protecting personnel and Department of Defense assets.
The program, which is administered by the Office of Special Investigation, puts Airmen and their families as well as local authorities on the anti-terrorism team by being the eyes and ears of the community and knowing what to do in the event of witnessing any behavior that’s out of the ordinary.
“Basically, the program is the neighborhood watch of the Air Force,” said Justin Colwell, OSI special agent. “We ask that when you see something suspicious, you say something. It focuses on the need to report on any suspicious activity. It goes with our mission objective, which is stopping any terrorist activity before it happens.”
According to OSI, examples of suspicious activity include surveillance - someone recording or monitoring activities; elicitation - people or organizations attempting to gain information about military operations whether it’s through mail, fax, internet or in person; tests to security - any attempts to measure reaction times to security breaches in order to assess strengths and weaknesses; suspicious persons out of place - people who don’t seem to belong in a certain workplace, neighborhood, business establishment or anywhere else; acquiring supplies - purchasing or stealing explosives, weapons, ammunition, timers or detonators. Uniforms, badges, flight manuals, or any other controlled items are also examples of supplies. Other indicators of suspicious activity are witnessing people being put into position, mapping out routes and/or monitoring the timing of traffic lights, which would be sign of terrorists performing a dry run or in the process of deploying hostile assets.
Having missile facilities located throughout north central Montana, OSI and the Air Force are in constant communication with local authorities and Colwell agrees the partnership is key to keeping Airmen, the citizens and our assets safe.
“We have that unique mission objective with our nuclear facilities being spread out, so lines of communication are always open between us, security forces, the local authorities and the landowners,” Colwell said. “With communication being constant, our relationship with the community remains strong and we want to keep it that way.”
In the event of witnessing any suspicious activities, Airmen, DOD personnel and their families are encouraged to report it by calling the OSI’s 24-hour Eagle Eye hotline at 406-731-3895 at any time.