Scott Air Force Base in Illinois will serve as one of the first tests in replacing security forces airmen with a civilian police force. These civilian officers, who will wear battle dress uniforms and blue ball caps, will work all manner of security and law enforcement on the base, not just act as gate guards. The 375th Security Forces Squadron at Scott has faced a continual manning shortage, since security forces airmen spend two months in deployment training before deploying for six months and then must retrain for base duty. Scott has 24 slots it is trying to fill and is conducting training to see who will pass a standard physical fitness test, firearms qualification, and instruction at the Veteran’s Affairs Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Ark. Being a vet is not a requirement, but those undergoing training at Scott are all former service members. (Scott report by A1C Amber Kelly-Woodward)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.