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AFOSI seeks top quality Airmen
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is the Air Force agency responsible for investigating major crimes and works against terrorist and foreign intelligence efforts. It is also 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 major investigative service since August, 1948. It provides criminal investigations and counterintelligence services to commanders of all Air Force organizations. To do that consistently well, AFOSI must constantly replenish its agent force and its primary source of new agents is the active duty enlisted force.
"Airmen from all career fields in the Air Force can join AFOSI and bring something to the fight," said Special Agent Angelina Montecalvo, superintendent of the applicant processing branch at Headquarters AFOSI. "We are constantly seeking top quality Airmen to join our team by retraining into OSI."
"The standards are high and it's tough to make the cut, but we know there are many good Airmen who meet the standards and would make great agents," said Chief Master Sgt. John Fine, AFOSI command chief. Chief Fine retrained into AFOSI 23 years ago from the security forces career field and said his career as a special agent has been very exciting and tremendously rewarding.
According to Agent Montecalvo, AFOSI's primary recruiting focus is on staff sergeants with 5 - 10 years of service, technical sergeants with less than 1 year in grade, and top quality senior airmen who are eligible to retrain.
"We will consider others who don't fall within those parameters, but that's our primary target group," Agent Montecalvo said.
Once approved for retraining, all new special agent candidates attend training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga. The candidates must complete both the 11-week Criminal Investigator Training Program and 7 weeks of AFOSI-specific coursework. Both courses offer training in weapons use, forensics, surveillance and surveillance detection, antiterrorism techniques, crime scene processing, interrogations and several other topics.
After successful completion of a 1-year probationary period, some agents receive specialist training in economic crime, antiterrorism service, counterintelligence, computer crimes and other sophisticated criminal investigative capabilities. Others attend 12 weeks of training to acquire skills in electronic, photographic and other technical surveillance countermeasures.
"Besides being inquisitive and able to interact with a variety of different personality types, agents must be able to take initiative and be detached enough to handle the possible shock in criminal investigations," said Special Agent Nelson Roman, AFOSI Detachment 804 superintendent at Vandenberg.
For more information about AFOSI's mission, visit the AFOSI public website at www.osi.andrews.af.mil. NCOs interested in becoming an AFOSI agent should review the applicant website at www.osi.andrews.af.mil/join/enlisted/index.asp and contact Agent Roman from AFOSI Det. 804, at 805-606-1852.