Col. Brian Greenroad, commander of the Air Force Security Forces Center since 2016, will retire on Aug. 14, following 28 years of active-duty service to the U.S. Air Force and Security Forces worldwide. He will be succeeded by Col. Aaron Guill, who currently serves as Director, Profession of Arms Center of Excellence at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
During Greenroad's tenure at AFSFC, he has strategically led their cross-functional team which includes security forces, intelligence, office of special investigations, explosives ordnance disposal, personnel, finance, medical, scientific, communications and engineering personnel.
As he approaches the end of his active-duty career, he praised AFSFC saying "I am exceptionally proud of the Security Forces Center team and our partners on how they helped make Defenders more lethal and ready by delivering first class training and modernized equipment to the field, as well as how the team led the way with many programs including Air Force Confinement, Security Forces Innovation, Integrated Base Defense Modernization, and Mission Assurance to name a few."
The Center's mission is to execute the organizing, training and equipping of more than 38,000 security forces members in the active and air reserve components with its four directorates and three geographically separated detachments, the Desert Defender Readiness Training Center at Fort Bliss, Texas and two corrections facilities located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
AFSFC's cross-functional team provides subject matter expertise to the field to drive integration, innovation and advancement of Security Forces mission set to deliver integrated defense, conduct law and order operations, provide security protection for nuclear and non-nuclear assets, acquire, disseminate and provide training and maintenance of small arms and light weapons and other Defender equipment, provide military working dog support, deliver sustainment and other training to Defenders, and manage Air Force corrections.
Greenroad began his command in June 2016 shortly before Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, with AFSFC as one of its primary subordinate units, achieved full operational capability. He has been part of AFIMSC's push to transform installation and mission support capability delivery from the ad hoc collection of efforts into a streamlined enterprise.
In the past four years, Greenroad has concentrated his efforts on the elements of the Reconstitute Defender Initiatives to help restore readiness, revitalize squadrons, increase lethality and close requirement gaps.
These are just a few of the Center's accomplishments from 2016-2020.
AFSFC's support to the Warfighter over the past four years focused on modernizing weapon systems and equipment, command, control and communications systems, physical security improvements and facilities.
AFSFC's work on modernization included selection and beginning of fielding the new Air Force M18 modular handgun system, the M4A1 assault rifle, the M11OA1 semi-automatic sniper rifle and the M320A1 grenade launcher as part of the Combat Ready Airmen Initiative. Recently, AFSFC hosted the first U.S. Air Force Small Arms and Light Weapons Symposium, which identified rifle, carbine and accessory requirements to enable forward movement of capability gaps.
Some of the equipment which has been contracted for include the Modular Scalable Vest, the Female Body Armor and the Security Forces Next Generation Ballistic Helmet. The logistics directorate collaborated with the Army's Program Executive Office to identify the Modular Scalable Vest as the Security Forces-wide plate carrier solution.
To meet the needs unique to female Defenders, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Combat Ready Airmen and Security Forces Center partnered to identify an optimum Female Body Armor Solution. In keeping with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's intent, 2,175 systems have been procured this year by collaborating with AFIMSC's 771st Enterprise Sourcing Squadron to establish a 17.3 million dollar contract to purchase the vests. AFSFC is also working to replace a legacy combat helmet with the Security Forces Next Generation Ballistic Helmet, which will give Airmen more protection and a better fit with tactical communication equipment.
AFSFC led the Air Force 1 billion dollar combat arms program, aligning 204 combat arms full-spectrum total force initiatives with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Future Operating Concept.
AFSFC fielded deployable armories, deployable Base Defense and Joint Defense Operations Centers. The team helped right-size the security forces LOGDET, assisting AFSFC in consolidating all of its 45 million dollars in equipment at AFSFC's Desert Defender Ground Combat Readiness Training Center at Fort Bliss. This equipment included various weapons, tactical vests, riot gear, tents and sandbags. This consolidation allows the Air Force to quickly provide light, lean, lethal personnel and equipment packages to meet combatant commander requirements within required operational timelines.
Facilities improvements have included physical security for access control points and analysis and creation of a hubbing execution plan for Level 1 Confinement Facilities. Five locations were identified for the Level 1 facilities that would provide pre-trial and short-term post-trial support for military confines. AFSFC teamed with Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the Army Corps of Engineers and several commercial architectural engineering companies in scouting locations at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Travis AFB, California, Sheppard AFB, Texas, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, and conducted planning charrettes with base CE representatives. By creating these new facilities, the Air Force will provide access to a military confinement locale within an approximate four-hour drive one way, which reduces the burden of building and operating a confinement facility for each base.
AFSFC collaborated with AFCEC to create the Installation Access Control Point Tracker. The SharePoint-based tool serves as a central repository for physical security and access control facilities requirements. More importantly, the tool allows commanders to make informed risk and resourcing decisions based on specific gaps/needs at each gate. To date, local Civil Engineers and Security Forces have inputted gate health data at 402 of 455 installation access control points.
AFSFC created a small arms range database, a tool for holistically managing the life cycles of nearly 200 firing ranges across the Air Force. The database enables leaders to make the most informed decision about risk and funding with a data-driven, Air Force-wide view which prioritizes all Air Force ranges by metrics such as size, type of range, training throughput and potential hazards from overuse or age. Teaming with AFIMSC/IZ and AFCEC, the Center developed the first approved strategy to address range issues and ensure Airmen get small arms training when they need it, and now installations are developing plans to support FY21 project prioritization.
AFSFC also managed the 5.0 update of the Defense Biometric Identification System, also known as DBIDS, to improve installation security. The new equipment is 40% smaller and capable of performing scans eight times faster. In 2016, security forces Airmen scanned 86 million ID cards and detected 175,000 unauthorized personnel at gate entry points. In just the first six months of 2017, entry controllers scanned 92 million cards and detected 200,000 unauthorized personnel.
In support of the DoD Executive Agent for Military Working Dogs, AFSFC coordinated all DoD MWD taskings for the Secret Service, State Department and White House Military Office. Every year, AFSFC executed hundreds of missions and deployed over 1,500 explosive detection dog teams and numerous MWD teams in support of senior leader requirements and worldwide missions. In 2019, the team tasked and deployed 1,246 MWD teams to support the U.S. president, White House Mission Office, U.S. Secret Service, Department of State and the 74th United Nations General Assembly.
AFSFC was a key player in the planning and execution of the Combat Support Wing exercises, the first held in Spring 2018, to test the concept at Tyndall AFB, Florida, and then in September Security Forces trained 150 Airmen from seven major commands at Desert Defender before they participated in a CSW proof-of-concept exercise at Tyndall AFB, Moody AFB, Georgia, and Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida. They helped Airmen from other career fields to step out of their comfort zones to learn core skills for Security Forces tasks and missions.
On behalf of Headquarters Air Force Security Forces Directorate, AFSFC provided planning and execution support for the successful return of the Air Force Defender Challenge in September of that same year, ending the competition's 14-year hiatus. The 14 four-person teams from U.S. Air Force major commands, the United Kingdom and Germany competed in a rifle and handgun weapons competition, dismounted operations and a physical challenge relay. The events tested specific skill sets to include long-distance firing, basic patrol techniques, tactical combat casualty care, actions under fire and land navigation.
During that fiscal year, Desert Defender trained 4,500 force protectors, more than the other three readiness training centers combined, supporting missions within U.S. Africa Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command. Throughout 2019 and into 2020, AFSFC concentrated on the concept of Competent Lethal Defender by redefining Defender training at Desert Defender Readiness Training Center, moving from a concentration of pre-deployment training to Tiered Training for ranks from Airman Basic to captains, Specialized training and Combat Support Wing Training to ensure not only competence but proficiency.
AFSFC implemented a bold move initiative to effectively train, develop, and integrate civilian defenders into the Security Forces Enterprise. To improve training, the team introduced a ten-week Civilian Police Academy to ensure civilian defenders are trained to carry out all mission areas of integrated defense. The team also upgraded the entry-level police officer from GS-05 to GS-07 and gained approval to implement direct-hire authority to fill chronic vacancies. The initiative improved recruiting, retention and reduced the hiring timeline from 180 days to 60 days.
AFSFC partnered with Air Force Materiel Command to respond to the growing small unmanned aerial system threat. They implemented the SKYNET shotgun round, providing the first c-SUAS response and allowing time for further coordination to develop a greater c-SUAS plan.
COVID-19 required leadership in 2020 to rethink training structures, locations and along with the rest of the Air Force going virtual for some classes to keep the training momentum going through there with creative and innovative efforts or redesigning tempo and format of training at the Readiness Centers to protect defenders during the courses.
Responding to a Global Force Management Training shortfall, AF/A4S, AFSFC and the Desert Defender Readiness Training Center scrambled to develop and deliver a virtual leadership course targeted at Senior Noncommissioned Officers and junior Captains in two areas: Air Transportation with the Expeditionary Center and the 345 TRS at Fort Lee and Desert Defender Tier 4 Course. The Desert Defender cadre led the course virtually from Fort Bliss, Texas on the Desert Defender campus between May 26 and 31. One Air National Guard defender attended from his home and four active-duty defenders attended from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The incredible responsiveness and innovation by the Security Forces team was groundbreaking and averted delays in Defenders deployments to two separate combat theaters of operation.
While his efforts during the past four years have accelerated the modernization and training efforts for Security Forces worldwide, Greenroad has had a colorful career over the past 28 years. He began at Dover AFB, Delaware, as the Resources and Training Flight Commander, and then on to Aviano AB, Italy, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, Joint Base Bolling Anacostia, Washington, D.C., Scott AFB, Illinois and overseas to Al Dhafra, Balad, and Bagram Air Bases and to U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, after which he was assigned to his present post as AFSFC commander in 2016.
Col. Greenroad's knowledge, leadership and commitment to Air Force defenders and the Air Force mission has left an enduring mark on AFSFC and Air Force security forces.
Col. Brian Greenroad, commander of the Air Force Security Forces Center since 2016, will retire on Aug. 14, following 28 years of active-duty service to the U.S. Air Force and Security Forces worldwide. He will be succeeded by Col. Aaron Guill, who currently serves as Director, Profession of Arms Center of Excellence at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
