Security Forces

You are the apprentice Security Forces Airman. The gate does not care that you just graduated the Security Forces Academy — it cares whether you can challenge, search, and document a reportable incident correctly before your post relief shows up.

You finished the Security Forces Apprentice Course at the Security Forces Academy (JBSA-Lackland, San Antonio TX) and you are now working post in a Security Forces Squadron (SFS) — gate entry control, installation perimeter patrol, nuclear security or missile security depending on your gaining assignment, or law enforcement desk operations. You check vehicle decals, validate credentials, respond to disturbance calls, write AF Form 3545 incident reports, and hand off to the on-duty Security Forces investigator when the call escalates. You run patrol under the direct supervision of the on-duty Flight Sergeant and the post FTO (Field Training Officer), and every week you are also burning through the CDC volumes for the 3P051 5-skill upgrade. The job is both: a law enforcement day shift writing incident reports on a domestic disturbance call, and a combat arms afternoon qualifying on the M4 and M9 at the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM) range. Both are real. Both have standards. You are expected to keep both current from your first day on post.

• 01Operate an installation Entry Control Point (ECP) — challenge personnel and vehicles, validate decals and credentials, enforce access-control procedures under AFI 31-101, and document denials and incidents correctly on AF Form 3545.
• 02Execute a vehicle search and a personnel pat-down per the Security Forces search procedures in AFMAN 31-201 Vol 7 — thorough, lawful, documented.
• 03Respond to a reported incident on post — disturbance, theft, traffic accident, unauthorized entry — take the initial report, secure the scene, and hand off to the on-duty Security Forces investigator with a factual verbal brief and a written incident report.
• 04Qualify and maintain currency on assigned weapons (M4 carbine, M9 pistol) to the CATM / DoD 5210.56 standard — qualification is not optional, it is a post requirement.
• 05Apply use-of-force rules correctly under AFI 31-117 and DoD 5210.56 — know the continuum, know when and how to escalate, and know when escalation ends.
• 06Write a factual, time-sequenced AF Form 3545 Security Forces Incident Report for every reportable event — what you saw, what you did, who was involved, times, what was said or done.

• —CFETP 3P0X1 — Career Field Education and Training Plan (the line-item training record your FTO and Flight Sergeant sign off against; verify the current edition on e-Publishing).
• —Your CDC volumes for the 3P051 upgrade — read them fully; the End-of-Course test is on the schoolhouse server and the score follows you.
• —AFI 31-101 — Integrated Defense (the master policy document governing installation security; your post orders derive from it).
• —AFI 31-117 — Arming and Use of Force by Air Force Personnel (your use-of-force authority, rules of engagement, and accountability — know this cold).
• —AFMAN 31-201 Volumes 1–7 — Security Forces Standards and Procedures (the tactical how-to for every post task you perform).
• —DoD 5210.56 — Arming and Use of Deadly Force (the DoD-level authority document that sits above AFI 31-117; CATM instructors will reference it).
• —AFI 1-1 — Air Force Standards (umbrella standards-of-conduct document).

• —CDC volumes complete and the End-of-Course exam passed inside the AETC-prescribed timeline — late CDCs are the Flight Sergeant's first counseling.
• —5-skill level (3P051) upgrade signed off on time — CFETP task list closed, FTO and section chief signatures in place.
• —Weapons qualification current on all assigned weapons per CATM / DoD 5210.56 — unqualified = off post. No exceptions.
• —Use-of-force certification current; any lapse in required Security Forces certifications is an immediate post removal.
• —PT test passing under current DAFMAN 36-2905 — Security Forces Airmen pull physical demands on patrol and at ECPs; the Body Composition Program is not where you want to land as an A1C.

• —Writing an incident report that is editorialized instead of factual. "The subject was acting suspicious" is an opinion. "Subject repeatedly looked toward the gate camera while attempting to enter" is what goes in the report — what you observed, in sequence, in time.
• —Applying use of force outside the authorized continuum under AFI 31-117. Too much, too fast, not documented. The Security Forces Investigation Office (SFIO) and the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) will both walk through your decision — your actions need to be defensible at each step.
• —Allowing a credential violation or vehicle discrepancy to pass an ECP because the vehicle "looked like it belonged." Access control is binary: valid credential + valid decal = access. Anything else goes to the post supervisor.
• —Telling witnesses or subjects what the outcome of the investigation will be. You secure the scene, take the report, and hand off. Disposition is the investigator's call, not yours.
• —Letting CATM currency slip because "the range was busy." Unqualified Airmen come off post. Qualification is a post requirement, not a training event you fit in when convenient.

The good A1C 3P0X1 is the apprentice the Flight Sergeant puts on the busiest gate during a high-visibility inspection because the credentials get checked correctly, the incidents get reported factually, and the post never goes sideways for lack of procedure. By the BTZ window the 5-skill upgrade is signed, the CATM qualification is current on every assigned weapon, and the FTO is already making the case for early SrA. The section chief knows the name before the first EPR closes.

You are the journeyman and the Field Training Officer candidate. The 5-skill upgrade is done, you run your post independently, and the Flight Sergeant is watching whether you can be trusted to bring a new A1C online correctly.

You run your assigned post at the journeyman level — entry control, patrol, law enforcement desk, nuclear or missile security depending on your gaining unit — without the Flight Sergeant having to redirect you mid-shift. You are also the FTO candidate who trains the new A1C the way you got trained, you sign off CFETP line items at the apprentice level when the Flight Sergeant delegates, and you pick up the additional duty stack — training monitor, scheduling, unit fitness program assistant, honor guard, ALS prep. You are studying for the SSgt WAPS cycle — PFE and the 3P0X1 SKT — and watching the ALS slate, because ALS in residence is required before you pin SSgt. The Phoenix Raven program and Combat Readiness Course are now visible on the horizon for the Airmen who want the deployed LE and force protection mission — and the Airmen who complete those courses write the EPB self-inputs that stand out in the SSgt pool.

• 01Run an assigned post — ECP, patrol, LE desk, or force protection — end-to-end through a full shift without the Flight Sergeant having to correct the approach, the paperwork, or the incident handoff.
• 02Field Train a new A1C through the apprentice CFETP tasks — demonstrate, supervise, sign off, and document the training correctly in the unit training record.
• 03Write a complete, factual AF Form 3545 incident report and a coherent case package for a law enforcement matter serious enough to go to the SFIO — organized, chronological, no gaps the investigator has to chase.
• 04Maintain weapons qualification current on all assigned weapons and apply use-of-force rules without hesitation — the FTO candidate who fumbles the use-of-force brief discredits every A1C they train.
• 05Study the WAPS bench — the Promotion Fitness Examination and the 3P0X1 Specialty Knowledge Test — with a plan built around the current AFPC promotion message, not last cycle's flashcards. Pull the current message and SKT reference list from MyFSS / e-Publishing.
• 06Write a clean self-input for your EPB / Stratification — the bullets your SSgt copies into the report are the ones you drafted, with measurable results and impact.

• —CFETP 3P0X1 — you sign at the apprentice level when delegated; 5-skill current and auditable.
• —AFI 31-101 — Integrated Defense; AFMAN 31-201 Vols 1–7 — Security Forces Standards and Procedures (you now use these as your daily technical authority, not as study material).
• —AFI 31-117 — Arming and Use of Force; DoD 5210.56 — Arming and Use of Deadly Force (you brief these to the A1C you are training).
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems (the current EPB / Stratification system — verify the active revision on e-Publishing).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (WAPS mechanics, eligibility, sequence numbers — verify current revision on e-Publishing).
• —AFI 36-2606 — Reenlistment in the United States Air Force (your first selective retention window may sit inside this tier).

• —5-skill level (3P051) upgrade complete; CFETP at the journeyman level current and auditable.
• —ALS slot held and graduated — ALS in residence is required before pinning SSgt; do not let the slot pass.
• —Weapons qualification current on all assigned weapons per CATM schedule; use-of-force certification current.
• —WAPS testing window hit on the first attempt — PFE and the 3P0X1 SKT, current AFPC promotion message followed exactly.
• —PT test passing under current DAFMAN 36-2905 — an Excellent score is the visible-on-paper floor at this rank, and Security Forces Airmen are watched for it.

• —Coaching a new A1C through incident response verbally without documenting the task evaluation in the CFETP record. The SFS Training Office audits the record — undocumented training means uncertified personnel on post, and the NCOIC answers for it.
• —Writing an incident report that reflects what you think happened rather than what you observed. The SJA reads the report. Editorialized reports do not hold up.
• —Letting weapons qualification or use-of-force certification lapse because "range time is always getting cancelled." You own the tracking. Going to the Flight Sergeant when you are already expired is a different conversation than going when you are 30 days out.
• —Skipping the EPB self-input and letting the SSgt build the report from memory. The bullets you do not write are the bullets nobody can defend at the WAPS cycle.
• —Treating the WAPS SKT as a 60-day study problem. The 3P0X1 SKT covers law enforcement procedures, force protection, and base defense doctrine — the journeyman who starts at 90 days is the one who hits the cut score.

The good SrA 3P0X1 is the journeyman the Flight Sergeant puts on the busiest post and then goes to handle something else — the post runs, the paperwork is clean, the A1C beside him is being trained correctly, and the SKT study guide is on the desk between incidents. ALS is done or scheduled, the BTZ case is on the table, the SSgt WAPS is the first attempt, and the FTO designation is already on the section chief's list.

You are the new NCO and the Flight Sergeant candidate. The stripe is on, ALS is behind you, and the SFS Operations Officer now expects you to run a post section, write EPB inputs for the Airmen under you, and be the senior LE voice when the senior NCO is not on shift.

You are the on-duty Flight Sergeant or the NCOIC of an SFS section — entry control post cluster, patrol section, resource protection element, law enforcement desk shift, or a force protection mission set depending on your squadron and installation. You supervise 3-6 Airmen, you sign CFETP line items at the journeyman level, you build the section's training plan against the CFETP and the squadron's training calendar, and you are the section's voice in the Flight Sergeant's daily debrief. You write EPB / Stratification inputs that the SrAs read and the Ops Officer defends at the squadron roll-up. You are working the 7-skill upgrade (3P071) — the CDCs are deeper, the CFETP line items move into supervisory and force protection doctrine — and you are studying for the TSgt WAPS cycle on top of the shift. The Phoenix Raven and Combat Readiness Course paths are serious career considerations now: they signal deployable force protection credibility in an AFSC where deployed-mission credibility drives EPR stratification.

• 01Run a 3-6 person post section through a full shift — ECP operations, patrol response, LE incident coverage, post documentation — without the SFS Operations Officer having to redirect the section.
• 02Write defensible EPB / Stratification inputs under DAFMAN 36-2406 — action / result / impact, measurable, tied to mission outcomes, no recycled apprentice-tier filler.
• 03Sign off CFETP line items at the journeyman level and own the audit when the SFS Training Office pulls the records.
• 04Brief the shift's incident posture and any escalated law enforcement matters to the on-duty SFS Operations Officer — facts, what you did, what you need — in one clean handoff.
• 05Maintain and enforce CATM qualification standards across your section — you run the tracking, you flag the gaps before they hit the Flight Sergeant's desk.
• 06Build a WAPS study plan for your SrAs — PFE and the 3P0X1 SKT — and walk them into the test the same way you walked in.

• —CFETP 3P0X1 — you sign at the journeyman level; the 7-skill upgrade (3P071) is in motion against the craftsman line items.
• —AFI 31-101 — Integrated Defense; AFMAN 31-201 Vols 1–7 — Security Forces Standards and Procedures (you are now the section's procedural authority on shift).
• —AFI 31-117 — Arming and Use of Force; DoD 5210.56 — Arming and Use of Deadly Force (you enforce these and you counsel when they are not followed).
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems (you write EPB / Stratification inputs now — verify current revision on e-Publishing).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (the WAPS / sequence-number / Stratification mechanics you both administer and compete inside).
• —Joint Publication 3-10 — Joint Security Operations in Theater (the doctrinal foundation for the deployed base defense and force protection mission you are building credentials toward).

• —ALS graduate; 7-skill level (3P071) CDCs in progress against the CFETP timeline.
• —NCOA packet built — required before pinning TSgt; the slot is competitive and the notification window is short.
• —Section CATM qualification status current across all assigned personnel; no unqualified Airmen on post on your watch.
• —PT test passing under DAFMAN 36-2905 with the visible score the section watches.
• —WAPS for TSgt taken inside the window — PFE and the 3P0X1 SKT prepped with the current AFPC promotion message. Check vMPF for your sequence number.

• —Letting CFETP line items go un-audited because "the flight tempo is high." The SFS Training Office audit lands when the installation IG shows up, not when it is convenient, and unsigned task certifications are on your name.
• —Signing off an incident report that is factually thin because "the Airman was busy." The SJA reads the reports your section produces. A report that cannot support an adverse action is a report you signed.
• —Building EPB inputs from memory at the suspense because you did not track results during the rating period. The bullets you cannot back with a number are the ones the senior rater quietly downgrades.
• —Treating the NCOA / WAPS / 7-skill upgrade as three separate problems to solve in series. They run in parallel — the SSgt who waits for the NCOA notification misses it.
• —Confusing Flight Sergeant authority with law enforcement authority. Post orders and use-of-force rules have not changed because you got promoted — if anything, the standard for your decisions is higher now that your signature is on other people's training records.

The good SSgt 3P0X1 is the Flight Sergeant the Ops Officer deploys to the high-friction post cluster on a busy inspection day and forgets about until the shift brief — the section runs, the incident reports are factual, the A1Cs are being trained, and the TSgt SKT guide is in the patrol vehicle between calls. NCOA packet is in, the WAPS first attempt is the one that pins the stripe, and the Phoenix Raven or Combat Readiness credential is already in the EPB bullet bank.

You are the section NCOIC or the Flight Sergeant for an entire flight. The SFS Commander reads your name in the operations brief and the Functional Manager is watching whether your section runs the installation's security posture without daily supervision.

You are the NCOIC of a Security Forces section — ECP cluster, law enforcement operations, resource protection, nuclear security, flight line security, or force protection mission element depending on your installation — or you are the designated Flight Sergeant for a full patrol flight. You supervise 5-12 Airmen across SrAs and SSgts. You write 2-3 EPB / Stratification reports per cycle that determine whether your SSgts pin TSgt. You sit in the SFS Operations Officer's daily operations brief as the section's senior voice. You own the section's law enforcement metrics, CATM qualification rates, CFETP currency, and deployment security-forces readiness posture — and you defend them to the SFS CC at the weekly roll-up. You are building the SNCOA packet, and the career-broadening conversations are now serious: SFS Superintendent assignments at smaller installations, instructor duty at the Security Forces Academy (JBSA-Lackland), Phoenix Raven controller, Joint Base security positions, federal law enforcement agency liaison, and deployment as SFS element leader in contingency environments.

• 01Own the section's law enforcement and force protection metrics — incident report quality, ECP discrepancy rate, CATM qualification currency, deployment medical readiness — and defend them at the SFS weekly roll-up without flinching.
• 02Write 2-3 EPB / Stratification reports per cycle under DAFMAN 36-2406 that the senior rater can defend at the roll-up — measurable, impact-driven, your SSgts get selected because the bullets are specific.
• 03Sign off CFETP at the craftsman level; run the section's training-status review against the timeline; identify the certification gaps before the SFS Training Office or the installation IG calls.
• 04Run an IG / Staff Assistance Visit / SFS stan-eval prep cycle for your section — post orders currency, incident report documentation, use-of-force records, CATM qualification files, deployment readiness posture.
• 05Mentor the section's WAPS cycle — PFE / SKT for SrAs going for SSgt, PFE / SKT for SSgts going for TSgt — using current AFPC promotion message timelines, not last cycle's study guides.
• 06Translate security forces risk — access control gaps, LE metric trends, force protection posture shortfalls — to a non-law-enforcement SFS CC and wing staff in language the leadership will brief accurately up the chain.

• —CFETP 3P0X1 — you sign at the craftsman level and audit the section's line items.
• —AFI 31-101 — Integrated Defense; AFMAN 31-201 Vols 1–7 — Security Forces Standards and Procedures (you are the section's standing authority against these; you are audited on them).
• —AFI 31-117 — Arming and Use of Force; DoD 5210.56 (you enforce these and you document every counseling, every incident, every deviation from the continuum).
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems (you write 2-3 EPB / Stratification per cycle; verify current revision on e-Publishing).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (the MSgt WAPS / Eval Board mechanics you are now competing inside — MSgt is PFE only, no SKT).
• —Joint Publication 3-10 — Joint Security Operations in Theater (the deployed base defense doctrine you are expected to execute as a section NCOIC in a contingency environment).

• —NCOA graduate; SNCOA packet built (resident vs correspondence — verify current eligibility on MyFSS / e-Publishing).
• —7-skill level (3P071) complete; section CFETP currency defensible at the Functional Manager review.
• —Section CATM qualification rate at 100% for all assigned personnel at all times — a single unqualified Airman on post is an installation security gap.
• —Zero IG / SAV / stan-eval findings attributable to your section's law enforcement documentation or use-of-force records on your watch as NCOIC.
• —MSgt WAPS taken inside the window — PFE only at this level; pull the current AFPC promotion message for the cycle.

• —Hiding a section law enforcement metric trend that is going the wrong direction from the Ops Officer to "fix it before the brief." It surfaces at the SFS CC weekly and TSgts lose section NCOICs over this.
• —Letting your strongest SSgt carry the section's incident report quality because she writes the best reports. The day she PCSes or deploys the section's documentation collapses and the IG pulls the thread.
• —Building EPB / Stratification reports without measurable input from the SSgts you rate. The senior rater downgrades quietly and your bench does not pin TSgt.
• —Treating the SNCOA / career-broadening / WAPS conversation as three problems to solve in series. The TSgts who run them in parallel pin MSgt on the first or second look.
• —Confusing installation authority with law enforcement authority. Post orders do not override federal law, the UCMJ, or AFI 31-117 use-of-force rules — and as NCOIC you are the first person the SJA calls when a section incident goes wrong.

The good TSgt 3P0X1 is the section NCOIC the SFS CC names in the wing staff brief as "that section runs" and the installation IG names by name when someone asks who keeps law enforcement documentation clean in the squadron. The EPBs are defensible, the IG findings are zero, the CATM qualification rate is 100%, and the SNCOA packet is in motion. The Functional Manager has him on the short list for a MSgt assignment that broadens — Security Forces Academy instructor at JBSA-Lackland, Phoenix Raven controller, joint base security superintendent, or a contingency deployment SFS element leader billet — before he sits the MSgt cycle.

You are the Security Forces Flight Superintendent or the SFS Superintendent at a smaller installation. The SFS Commander reads your name in the wing operations brief and the Functional Manager at AFPC is building the SMSgt board case quarter by quarter.

You are the Security Forces flight superintendent in a Security Forces Squadron, the SFS Superintendent (Commander's senior enlisted advisor) at a smaller or geographically separated unit, or you are sitting a Functional Manager / career-broadening billet — Security Forces Academy instructor or NCOIC at JBSA-Lackland, Phoenix Raven Wing Controller, AFRC / ANG Security Forces Functional Advisor, joint base security element, or a DoD / joint force protection staff position. You run 15-40 Airmen across the SrA / SSgt / TSgt bench. You write four-to-five EPB / Stratification reports per cycle that decide the next TSgt slate. You defend the flight's law enforcement metrics, CATM qualification posture, CFETP currency, and deployment security-forces readiness at the squadron weekly and the wing monthly. You sit on the SFS CC's operations synch as the senior enlisted voice. You walk the installation's ECPs, patrol sectors, and resource protection sites during the IG / SAV cycle and identify the procedural gaps before the evaluator does. You mentor at least one TSgt per year toward SNCOA, the SMSgt board, and a career-broadening assignment that builds the SMSgt case. The post-AF federal law enforcement market is also now a real planning item — senior 3P0X1 MSgts walk directly into federal law enforcement (FBI, Secret Service, CBP, USMS, VA Police, TSA supervisory) hiring pools if they planned the certifications and the written record while they were still in uniform.

• 01Run a Security Forces flight superintendent's portfolio in an SFS — law enforcement metrics, CATM qualification currency, CFETP training status, force protection readiness, EPB / Stratification slate, deployment posture.
• 02Defend the flight's security and law enforcement posture at the SFS weekly and the wing monthly — alongside the SFS CC and the wing staff, not behind them.
• 03Mentor a TSgt through SNCOA, the SMSgt board, and a career-broadening assignment (Security Forces Academy instructor at JBSA-Lackland, Phoenix Raven controller, joint base security, AFRC/ANG functional, federal LE pipeline) — and be honest about what each one costs.
• 04Run a wing-level IG / SAV / DoD Inspector General prep cycle for the flight's Security Forces scope — post orders currency, incident documentation, use-of-force records, CATM files, resource protection accountability, access control records.
• 05Translate Air Force Security Forces doctrine (AFI 31-101, the Integrated Defense construct) and the current AFPC Functional Manager guidance into enlisted-talent decisions at the unit — who broadens, who goes to the Academy, who deploys, who stays line.
• 06Brief the wing CC / installation commander on security forces and force protection readiness in language the wing CC can defend at the NAF / MAJCOM level without the SFS CC having to translate.

• —CFETP 3P0X1 — you audit at the flight superintendent level; the 9-skill (3P091) upgrade case is being built.
• —AFI 31-101 — Integrated Defense (you are now a co-author of the installation's Integrated Defense Plan in practice, if not on paper).
• —AFMAN 31-201 Vols 1–7 — Security Forces Standards and Procedures; AFI 31-117 — Arming and Use of Force; DoD 5210.56.
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems (four-to-five EPB / Stratification per cycle; verify current revision).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (SMSgt board mechanics — no WAPS test at this level; the board reads the package and Functional Manager nominations carry weight).
• —Joint Publication 3-10 — Joint Security Operations in Theater (the deployed base defense and force protection doctrine you execute and enforce as a senior LE NCO).

• —SNCOA graduate (resident or correspondence — verify current Senior NCO PME requirements on MyFSS / e-Publishing).
• —CCAF AAS in Security Administration or Criminal Justice (verify the current CCAF program alignment for 3P0X1 on the CCAF portal); bachelor's in motion if SMSgt / CMSgt-track.
• —Flight law enforcement and force protection readiness metrics defensible at the SFS weekly and the wing monthly review.
• —EPB / Stratification slate producing TSgt selectees at or above the squadron average.
• —Career-broadening assignment completed or scheduled — the SMSgt board reads broadening; a line-only SFS career has a ceiling at the senior MSgt level.

• —Hiding a use-of-force incident or an access control discrepancy from the SFS CC to "fix it before the brief." It surfaces at the wing level and MSgt flight superintendents lose positions over this — not because of the incident, but because of the failure to disclose.
• —Letting the senior TSgt run the flight's law enforcement documentation quality while you focus on the SMSgt package. The flight IS the package — the SMSgt board reads the installation's IG report before it reads the bullets.
• —Writing EPB / Stratification reports without measurable input from the TSgts you rate. The senior rater downgrades quietly and your bench does not pin TSgt.
• —Treating the federal LE credential pipeline as something to start after separation. The application timelines, the background investigation, and the required certifications take longer than most MSgts plan for — start the credential map before the terminal leave briefing.
• —Confusing the Integrated Defense Plan with the installation's daily security posture. The IDP is the document; the posture is what your flight does every shift. The gap between the two is what the installation IG measures, and you own the gap.

The good MSgt 3P0X1 is the flight superintendent the SFS CC names in the wing staff meeting as "that flight is solid" and the installation IG cites by name in the outbrief as the reason the Security Forces section is the strongest in the wing. The EPBs are defensible, the IG findings are zero, the CATM qualification rate does not move below 100%, and the SNCOA packet is done. The Functional Manager has her on the short list for a SMSgt assignment that broadens — Security Forces Academy NCOIC at JBSA-Lackland, Phoenix Raven Wing Controller, joint base security superintendent, or a MAJCOM / AFPC 3P functional staff billet — before she sits the SMSgt board.

You are the Security Forces Squadron Superintendent or the Wing Security Forces Chief. The installation commander and the wing commander talk to you directly about base defense and law enforcement posture — and your advice shapes how an installation secures itself.

You are the SFS Superintendent (the commander's senior enlisted advisor in the Security Forces Squadron) at a major installation, the Wing Security Forces Chief at a wing-level command, or you are occupying a career-broadening senior enlisted billet — MAJCOM Security Forces Functional Manager, Air Staff enlisted advisor, joint base senior Security Forces enlisted leader, Security Forces Academy commandant's senior enlisted position, or a combatant command force protection advisory role. At CMSgt, you are the Air Force Career Field Manager (AFCFM) candidate for the 3P AFSC, or you are the most senior Security Forces enlisted advisor in the NAF / MAJCOM staff. You set the enlisted performance standard for the entire squadron — how incidents are documented, how use-of-force decisions are made and reviewed, how deployed Security Forces elements are led, and how the next generation of Security Forces NCOs is developed. You are not running posts. You are shaping whether the Airmen running posts have the training, the equipment, the doctrine, and the leadership they need to run them correctly — and whether the squadron can defend the installation when it needs to.

• 01Shape the Security Forces Squadron's enlisted performance standard — training program, EPB / Stratification culture, CATM accountability, law enforcement documentation quality — at the senior enlisted voice level.
• 02Advise the SFS CC, the wing commander, and the installation commander on security forces and force protection posture in plain language, with a clear recommendation, before being asked.
• 03Develop the squadron's senior NCO bench — identify TSgts and MSgts with the talent and the broadened career record to reach SMSgt / CMSgt, and be honest about who needs to redirect.
• 04Execute or oversee a major wing-level IG / MAJCOM staff assistance visit / DoD IG inspection in the Security Forces scope — and brief the findings to the installation commander before the inspectors do.
• 05Represent the 3P0X1 enlisted force in cross-functional forums — force protection working groups, MAJCOM security forces conferences, joint base coordination bodies — with a position that is grounded in doctrine and defensible under questioning.
• 06Build and sustain the connection between Security Forces enlisted career development and the post-AF federal law enforcement pipeline — the service members who leave with the credentials, the record, and the network do not happen by accident.

• —AFI 31-101 — Integrated Defense; AFMAN 31-201 Vols 1–7; AFI 31-117 — Arming and Use of Force; DoD 5210.56 (you are now a stakeholder in how these documents are written and revised, not just how they are enforced).
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems (you write senior NCO EPBs at the flight and squadron level; you shape stratification culture).
• —Joint Publication 3-10 — Joint Security Operations in Theater (the doctrinal authority for deployed base defense and force protection you have executed and now advise).
• —AFPC published AFCFM / Career Field Manager guidance for the 3P0X1 enlisted workforce (verify current edition; CMSgts in the AFCFM pipeline draft and revise this).
• —AFI 1-1 — Air Force Standards; DAFMAN 36-2905 — Air Force fitness; DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (SMSgt / CMSgt board mechanics — the board reads the whole record).
• —The current Integrated Defense Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and the Air Force Security Forces strategic guidance from the Air Force Security Forces Center (AFSFC).

• —SNCOA and the Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education (SEJPME) program complete — verify current CJCS / Air Force PME requirements on MyFSS / e-Publishing.
• —Bachelor's degree; master's in progress or complete for CMSgt-track and AFCFM candidates.
• —Squadron IG / MAJCOM SAV / DoD IG findings in Security Forces scope defensible at the installation commander level — zero is the standard, and near-zero requires a visible explanation.
• —Squadron enlisted promotion selectee rate at or above the MAJCOM average for the 3P0X1 community — the Chief who does not produce TSgt and MSgt selectees is a Chief the Functional Manager notices.
• —Post-military career path clearly planned and in motion — federal LE application timelines, background investigation requirements, and required certifications are not a post-separation planning item at this rank.

• —Allowing a use-of-force review process in the squadron that is punitive rather than developmental. The goal of the review is to correct and improve the force, not to find fault — the Chief who runs a punitive review culture drives incidents underground and trains Airmen to protect themselves before they protect the mission.
• —Treating the Integrated Defense Plan as a document the Operations Officer owns. The IDP is the installation's security architecture — if the senior Security Forces enlisted leader does not own the enlisted execution piece of it, the gap between the plan and the daily posture is the Chief's.
• —Writing senior NCO EPBs that are biographical rather than performance-driven. The SMSgt board reads the record — vague bullets at the senior NCO level are a signal, not noise.
• —Missing the federal LE credential window for your senior NCOs. The MSgts and TSgts who leave the 3P community with no federal LE pathway had a Chief who never made it a unit priority. The pipeline is there — Secret Service, CBP, FBI, USMS, VA Police — and it requires advance planning to use it.
• —Confusing seniority with credibility on use-of-force policy. The SJA and the Air Force Security Forces Center own the policy. The Chief owns how it is trained, enforced, reviewed, and documented at the unit level — and those are four different things.

The good SMSgt / CMSgt 3P0X1 is the Superintendent the installation commander quotes by name in the wing all-call when the IG leaves and the Security Forces section is the top-graded unit in the report. The squadron produces TSgt and MSgt selectees above the MAJCOM average. The use-of-force review process is developmental, not punitive. The senior NCOs leave for federal LE positions with a record that gets them hired on the first application cycle. And the next generation of Security Forces NCOs knows exactly what standards look like because the Chief held them without exception — on the post, in the report, and in the EPB bullet.