AFOSI Seeks Top Quality Airmen

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jeremy Waller
  • AFOSI Det. 226
Ellsworth AFB, SD --  The Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Air Force agency responsible for investigating major crimes and working against terrorist and foreign intelligence efforts, is constantly seeking exceptional noncommissioned 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 consistently do well, AFOSI must constantly replenish its agent force with its primary source of new agents, 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, applicant processing branch superintendent at AFOSI headquarters, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.. "We are constantly seeking top quality Airmen to retrain into OSI."

Chief Master Sgt. John Fine, AFOSI command chief, said the standards are high and it is tough to make the cut, but he knows many good Airmen would make great agents. 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 SA Montecalvo, AFOSI's primary recruiting focus is on staff sergeants with five to 10 years in service, technical sergeants with less than a year in grade, and top quality senior airmen who are eligible to retrain. She added, "we will consider others who don't fall within those parameters, but that's our primary target group."

Once approved for retraining, all new special agent candidates attend the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga. The candidates must complete both the 11-week Criminal Investigator Training Program and seven 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 one-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 capable of interacting with a variety of different
personality types, agents must be able to take the initiative and be detached enough to handle the possible shock in criminal investigations," said SA Adam Johnson, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

For more information about joining AFOSI, visit the recruiting page on the AFOSI public Web site.