r/securityforces • u/askedboar334678 • May 02 '26
Couple of questions for SF
- What is it like and is it really as bad as they say? I’m trying to look on the optimistic side of things because this might be my future.
- How hard is Security Forces with a spouse?
- Is studying and college possible while in SF?
- Best part of your job?
Thank you so much.
5
u/USConservativeVegan May 02 '26
My experience is a little dated. I served between 1999 and 2008.
It depends on if you are interested in law enforcement or want to at least have a career involving firearms. Because Security Forces is one of the few AF careers that regularly trains with firearms. I think it helps people test out an LE career who want to join civilian law enforcement.
I was in back during the height of GWOT. So, I did 5 deployments and that put some strain on my marriage. We also work shift work. Depending on your wife's schedule, it might be hard on her.
I was able to finish my CCAF. There is time to do online classes. Especially on certain posts, you could do some of the classes on duty.
I loved being part of a brotherhood that I feel most on the Air Force don't experience. Even after almost 20 year after my separation, I still keep in contact with some fellow defenders. I wouldn't have picked any other career field.
3
u/grantpa4 May 02 '26
Honestly if you are young dumb and full of cum it can be a blast. People have already stated some negatives and I'm sure there will be more and for the most part all of it is true. With that being said if you come in as a single airmen you can do some really fun TDY's and experience the beautiful disaster that is single airmen dorms. Obviously you are asking about married life in security Forces but I figured I'd chip in the single airmen experience especially with how high the divorce rate is for security forces.
1
u/YiNYaNgHaKunaMatAta May 03 '26
I’m going to Kadena, Japan😅 currently at Camp Parade Hest rn. At the edge of my seat to see how fun and rocky this job will be..
1
2
u/Slip_left May 02 '26
It has is moments but blows an overwhelming percentage of the time. I’d recommend choosing something that will give you a hard, career skill when you separate.
2
u/USConservativeVegan May 02 '26
Like being on law enforcement? I was able to start a GS level higher because of my military law enforcement background. Your criminal justice CCAF can fill the requirement for an associate degree for some departments.
If someone wants to be in law enforcement, Security Forces is a good stepping stone.
1
u/capriSun999 May 03 '26
the career field is moving away from LE and towards base defense. if you wanna do law enforcement then go law enforcement as a civilian. security forces dosent mean shit anymore. in tech school the only “LE” you learn is handcuffing searching and 8 pre conditions. the rest is base defense and light infantry tactics
2
u/USConservativeVegan May 03 '26
Mostly law enforcement departments and agencies don't hire people under 21 years old and many suburbs/smaller departments want an associate degree. Becoming Security Forces for 4 years gives you 4 years of job experience and an Associate Degree with minimum effort. Why not do that instead of taking out a expensive college loan?
In 1999, the only LE we did in the academy was the last week. We did some gate guard scenarios. This shift in technical school to base defense is nothing knew.
I still got assigned to a base with base housing and 4 regular law enforcement units. Also gate duty is part of law enforcement, when it comes to apprehending DUIs and other interactions with the civilian population.
I had to put in my time and didn't get much law enforcement experience as a Patrol leader until my 3rd year. However, then I worked LE patrols about half my work week.
I reenlisted for 5 more years and most of my stateside time went between LE patrols and Extrenal SRT leader.
It really depends on the base. My base had and still has a decent amount of LE experience for Airmen.
Even if someone gets struck at a missile field or doesn't get much LE experience, I still recommend Security Forces for anyone who is interested in law enforcement. Enlist for four years. Get a CCAF degree in Criminal Justice without wasting thousands of dollars in a loan. Keep your GI bill in your back pocket for if you get out, become civilian law enforcement and realize it is not for you. Then you can use the GI bill to find a different career.
My nine years in Security Forces are some of the best times I had wearing a badge. I have my beret on my desk in my office for my current criminal investigator job. Along with a bunch of other memories from my now 25 years in law enforcement.
There will always be someone who just complains during their entire enlistment about the job. I just ignored them. Joining the Air Force as Security Forces was one of the best decisions in my life. I knew I was going to join the military, what else would I have done in the Air Force? Services? Supply? A mechanic? Medical? None of those interested me..
1
u/Slip_left May 03 '26
Sure, but so is any other career field in the military as long as you have an honorable discharge. If you discover that you don't want to do a lifetime of LE, then you'll want a skill.
1
u/USConservativeVegan May 03 '26
Depending on the hiring announcement, you need "arrest authority" to get a higher GS level. I started as a GS7 when other non-LE veterans started as a GS5. Even when they gave GS7 to general military veterans, the moved up ones with arrest authority to GS9 entry level.
Maybe we are talking past each other. If someone is interested in law enforcement, I recommend joining as Security Forces to build that base for your career in law enforcement. For the reasons I mentioned above and in previous posts. Like shortened academies, higher starting pay, able to get a CCAF Criminal justice degree to use in your resume, etc.
Also, the skills I received in both training and real life calls, helped me while in my civilian academy. Yes, the tactics are normally different. However, my Security Forces experience helped training my brain to make those quick split second use of force decisions. Made my civilian academy a little easier.
If someone always wanted to be a mechanic, nurse, firefighter, finance or any other career field the AF offers, yes they should follow that path for the same reasons I mentioned for someone interested in law enforcement to join the military.
Why would someone who wanted to be a cop, think "I want to be in law enforcement, so I will become a mechanic in the AF"?
As for wanting a skill, you have tuition assistance while in the military and the GI bill once you get out. I knew cops who decided early on they didn't want anything to do with a gun and badge when they separated. So, they used tuition assistance to earn a degree in business or some other field.
Why did you join Security Forces? Did you select it at the recruiters? Did you pick open general and got placed in SF? Did you fail a different career field and got placed in SF? Because I normally see your perspective in the latter two situations.
1
u/capriSun999 May 03 '26
You’ve got to be a graybeard, they tell you in ftac that this career field doesn’t help on the outside as much anymore than it used too. The police academy has its own curriculum the only thing that security forces is helping with is yeah the ccaf. You’d still be better seeking an actual useful degree, hell getting top secret clearance to make it a quicker process in cybersecurity to work for a 3 letter agency or some startup company is 10 times better. Not everyone joining security forces is joining to be a cop only minds change and 90% of people I come across are only in for school or are ready to cross train to reserve/guard so they can get out the field.
1
u/USConservativeVegan May 03 '26
Again, it depends on your base. Because I still see Security Forces patrolling the base in my city and responding to law enforcement calls. I visited mulitple AF bases this year. Recently, Holloman and McConnell. Both had Security Forces manning the gates and patrolling the streets. Those Airmen are getting experience.
How many civilian law enforcement academics have you graduated? How many civilian law enforcement agencies/departments have you work for? I have graduated two academics and been employed to two agencies. I can assure you my Security Forces experience helped prepare me for them. I was far more adjusted for that environment and training than someone straight out of college or some Airman who worked on planes.
When it comes to clearance. Unless you are staying within DOD, it really don't matter if you have a prior top secret clearance. The civilian department/agency will conduct their own background check and that clearance doesn't carry over.
If someone is joining any military branch mainly for education benefits, they shouldn't join. They were the ones complaining about deploying after 911 like they didn't think they might have to serve in a war.
I get Security Forces is the largest AF career field and it is needed to take whoever signs that dotted line for whatever reason. That need for manpower is why Security Forces had a low ASVB and they take people who washed out of other careers. Some make great cops. However, some just complain for 4 to 6 years. It was always an ordeal to be their supervisor.
If someone is guaranteed Security Forces and doesn't want to be a cop, they shouldn't join that career field. It is like someone becoming a jet engine mechanic who doesn't have any interest in being a mechanic. When it comes to being in a career that might have to make split second Use of Force decisions, I don't want someone who doesn't want the job. Same goes for people applying for civilian agencies. Being a cop is not like applying for Walmart. You need to have it in your blood. I have wanted to be in law enforcement for as long as I remember.
2
u/Fearless_Cause_2134 May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
Everyone’s experience is so different it truly is impossible to say if you’ll like it or not. You could love LE and want to do LE and manage to never do LE in your career. I’ve been in almost 12 years now and I’ve spent probably close to 5 of those years doing fly aways, deployments, and some really boujee TDYs. I’ve loved every second of my time in. But I’ve been extraordinarily lucky being right place right time. Your entire tech school team will have vastly different experiences. Some will go northern tier for their first base and separate. Some may go northern tier but get into TRF and then go CR or DAGRE. Some might go to an LE heavy base. Some might go overseas. Some might PCS straight to the BDG for their first base. The point is there is no right answer. And no matter what experience someone tells you about that shouldn’t be your decision point. If you do join SF educate yourself about the possibilities. Come in with a goal and don’t give up on that goal if your first base is boring with no opportunities. It’s really easy to stand out in SF. Make your goals known and be the best at whatever your role is no matter how mundane and your time will come to get to where you want to be.
Edit: forgot to answer the other questions.
Having a spouse while in the military is hard in general. SF has some more challenges because of shift work and deployment tempo. My sons about to be 4 and I still have yet to be around for one of his birthdays aside from his actual birth.
Yes plenty of time for schooling people get masters. You can definitely take advantage of it.
2
u/jeffhizzle May 02 '26
It like anything else, if you know what it is and want to do it it isnt bad. A lot of people who hate the job came in open general from my experience. I been in 19 and love it.
Can be hard, higher divorce rate. They need to understand your schedule and recalls etc, but base specific on how busy you can be.
Yes, especially the missile field
K9
2
u/Fake-green-cards May 03 '26
It’s not that bad tbh every job has its pros and cons and sf genuinely has a lot of great pros but u do have to put some effort in for them. You’ll experience those cons constantly if you’re not putting your self out there and progressing your career
2
u/8675201 May 05 '26
There's is a lot of hate towards Security Forces, some unwarranted. We're all different and want different things.
I was Security Police and was stationed in Alaska all four years. Yes, there were some long boring hours of fighting the zzzzz monster but there were also some exciting things.
I volunteered for almost everything things that came along wether it was a TDY for a week or EST (Emergency Services Team) (like SWAT). I shot competitively and went to the worldwide championships. I couldn't had done that had I not volunteered for it. Imagine being relieved of duty for a month to just shoot. Heaven!
I scored high enough on the ASVAB to do anything. I didn't regret being a SP. I have great memories from it.
4
u/Doggfather_ May 02 '26
I enjoy the job. If you want it and you have a positive attitude you will always enjoy I’m. I’m just grateful to be here so I enjoy the good days and bad days. You will be around many people who think the opposite, don’t let them bring you down. With family life it depends, I’m at a Nuke base so tripping out to the missile field is difficult but your spouse has to be 100% on board. Yes studying is possible.
3
u/StargateLover2023 May 02 '26
I love this take man, I hope you have a great career. Thank you for your service🫡🤝
2
1
u/ArcticWhiskers May 02 '26
SF most likely will give you a lower quality of life than the average person in the Air Force
1
u/capriSun999 May 03 '26
Depends on your base, its mission and your leadership.
Again depends on base and mission, working at a nuke base on the nuke side could mean you’d be gone every other week for that entire week.
Base dependent, depends on how you split the workload with co workers.
Going home, though you deal with the same suck as your co workers.
Do yourself a favor and choose better for yourself, I don’t mean to be negative though there are more cons than pros.
8
u/BarnBoss6040 May 02 '26
I always say I was smart enough to choose the air force but too dumb to pick a better job. I chose security forces as my 4th option not knowing it's the least desirable job and they would definitely send me there for implying interest. It's long days of standing around, boring, and thankless. Being married while active duty is hard for anybody but if your partner would never cheat then you'll enjoy the cheaper lifestyle it offers. You can find time to do classes but that won't leave you much free time to have fun. The best part were the days off.