AMC Updates Policy on Additional Arming Programs

Air Mobility Command has updated its policy on three programs that all commanders to increase the number of armed personnel on base in the wake of the 2015 shooting at a recruiting center in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Security Forces Staff Arming program is an existing program that allows Security Forces personnel to carry a weapon even while conducting administrative duties. The Unit Marshal Program “is a fairly new program” that gives commanders the option of selecting a unit member who is not a Security Forces member to be armed while on duty. That person would receive specialized weapons training from security forces personnel. “Dover [AFB, Del.] was the first base to implement this program,” said SMSgt. Brent Sanders, AMC A4 integrated defense operations manager. Under this program, “a commander may determine that areas with easy accessibility to a large outside customer base or a perceived threat to its personnel and customers, may require an armed presence to deter threats,” he added. The third program, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, allows “all categories of LEOSA-credentialed personnel,” including “current, separated, and retired law enforcement officers” to carry a privately owned concealed firearm on base. All plans must be reviewed by the AMC A4S-Security Forces Division before they are implemented, states the release.